Reconsidered Plant Layouts

A space isn’t complete until you have added the plants. Plants are typically the last thing people add after the colour and furniture, but once you have plants, it really feels like home.

There are many reasons why the presence of plants, a visual connection to the natural world, makes us feel relaxed. Gardening or taking care of plants is one form of plant therapy which has had excellent results in patients experiencing difficulties and trauma in their lives.

Biophilic design (using nature in our built spaces), equally has wonderful benefits. There is an increase in productivity, reduction of stress and greater quality of life. Another benefit is the reduction of volatile organic compounds in the air, in other words, the air quality is so much better when you have plants in your space.

Using plants as a natural wall divider will give you not only a warm and homely feeling, but also clear the air and help make everyone positive and more productive. These dividers can consist of large plants in pots, such as a Chamaedorea seifrizii (Bamboo palm) or a Ficus benjamina. If you have ample space, go for a Delicious Monster. Schefflera arboricola, known as the “dwarf umbrella tree,” is ideal indoors as it grows to about a meter tall.



On the terrace seating of restaurants, natural plant dividers are being used quite often to create more privacy at each table. Viburnums in pots are ideal dividers, thrive on outdoor sunlight as well as semi-shade and are evergreen, in other words they remain lush and green.



Dividing areas outdoors in the garden is extremely easy. One may either use a hedge of shrubs that might take some time to grow dense enough to create a proper division, or you simply build a wall and cover it with a fast-growing climbing plant such as Boston Ivy, Virginian creeper or Ticky creeper. Adding an old door or a door frame to the centre of the wall will make it even more interesting.



Using a divider in between the garden and the vegetable garden should also be rather easy by using either a trellis for a climber to find its way up, or a natural hedge. A herb, fruit or vegetable would be ideal in this setting. An espalier of vine, stone fruit, or fig will be extremely original and fun to train to get a network of branches to separate the areas efficiently.

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