Plan a PATTERNED garden

Why not be bold and captivating when it comes to patterning your garden? A world without patterns would have been way too boring and plain, thankfully patterns are everywhere. It is just a matter of how you incorporate them into your garden layout.

Garden landscapes can be planned to reveal intriguing focal points by using patterned plants. Knowing where to plant what, is the tricky part.

Shady spots
Enhance shady areas with boldly patterned plants rather than mere shades of green foliage, as the eye tends to pass over blocks of green – especially when there is nothing in bloom. Rather add some plants with bold stripes or speckles to have something the eye can rest on.
Fond of shade, the Hosta family boasts dapples, stripes and edges ranging from beautiful white to yellow, to smokey blue green. The two-toned Plectranthus variegate does very well in shade and is also indigenous to southern Africa. The white against green foliage allows for great visibility in shady spots.

Borders
Enclose a garden bed with a plant that brings a pattern to the picture. These could be ornamental grasses such as zebra grass or variegated Miscanthus grass. Edibles such as variegated lemon thyme or silver sage (Salvia officinalis) add a spark of satisfaction, knowing that you are also supplying herbs to your kitchen.

Focal points
If you really want to draw the eye in, plants that truly make a statement are needed. Always popular in southern Africa, consider the Canna lilies like the Bengal Tiger: flowers like flames of gold coupled with bold, green-on-green leaves. The Sansevieria’s (the so-called snake plants) also have a great variety of patterned foliaged equally suited to the outdoors or the indoors. They are a popular choice for water-saving gardens. For your focal point, choose a single bold shrub, or a cluster of taller plants.


The end of summer need not be a calamity. Plan your winter-hardy plants to also be eye-catching and textured and your garden will be attractive all year long. An example is the evergreen Oleaster (Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’) with its dark silvery green leaves edged in gold. When the wind blows, they show their silver undersides. Oleasters are hardy and can grow to 3 or 4 meters. Plant them in semi-shade so that they will also thrive through summer.

Eugene le Roux



AgriTurf: Marco de Wet
Cell: 081 600 9584



Pupkewitz Megabuild:
Eugene le Roux
Horticulturist
Cell: 081 124 6965