GRASS GARDEN

PRIVATE FARM | IDAS VALLEY, STELLENBOSCH

This private farm, which used to form part of the historical Rustenberg Farm, sits nestled in the southern foothills of Simonsberg, just above Idas Valley in Stellenbosch. It was a very traditional Cape farm garden with roses, formal borders, large lawns and pathways. The brief, inspired by the client’s visit to the gardens of Dutch plantsman, Piet Oudolf, was for a softer, contemporary garden with seasonal interest.

In collaboration with Franchesca Watson and Heidrun Diekmann, we reimagined the farm werf, stripping it of the old landscape features and artificial levels. We retained the existing trees and planted the entire garden with perennials, Salvias and grasses, that create a year-round show of beauty that captures the eye and the imagination. Because of the sheer scale of the project, all the grasses were planted as open ground plants or splits. The garden is now looked after, refined and tweaked by master gardener Pietman Diener.