What do I need to do to get a lawn that is the envy of the neighbourhood?

Site preparation is essential. Dig over the entire site to at least 30cm removing any rock or rubble. Add between 3cm and 7cm of good quality compost and dig this in well. Soils with a high clay content will benefit from an application of agricultural lime at 150g per square metre. If your soil is particularly poor you may need to dig down and remove a layer of soil and bring in clean, sifted topsoil. Subsoil drainage may need to be brought in to help remove excess water.  A pop up irrigation system will go a long way in reducing the guess work in keeping the water content at an optimum level. The choice of grass species depends on the site, its climate and the preference of the client. Kikuyu is reliable and versatile but a waterholic and is high maintenance. Berea will tolerate variable conditions but it dislikes high traffic and needs a regular mowing regime. Buffalo is tough and dependable but has a rough texture, offensive to some customers. Cynodon dactylon (kweek) is hard, drought tolerant, tolerant of a variety of conditions (except shade) and regardless of the type of lawn you plant will probably find its way into your lawn as it is endemic to this area. If mowed and maintained regularly makes a fine lawn, but its olive green colour and very fine texture puts a lot of clients off. We generally avoid the hybrids of kweek as they have been specifically developed for high maintenance conditions, such as golf courses, and are seldom successful for domestic gardens. Start the season off with a spring treatment of thatch removal and loosening up heavily compacted soils. Run your mower over the lawn to remove tufts and lifted thatch and then apply a thin layer of good quality lawn dressing and an application of organic fertiliser at 100g per square metre. Water well. As the days and nights warm, increase mowing until you are mowing on average every 4-5 days. Never allow the lawn to get too long between mowing as then you will scalp your lawn, the stems will burn in the hot summer sun and it will take some time and a lot of effort to get the lawn looking good again. Fertilise once every two weeks with an application of 50g organic fertiliser alternating with an application of LAN. Water this in well. Treat the appearance of pests as soon as they are noticed.

TIP : Edge the lawn with a line of cobbles or kerbs set onto a bed or mortar. This helps to define the line of beds and means the gardener does not cut away more of your lawn each time he trims. It also helps to prevent the lawn from invading your beds. McDonald Stuart Landscaping does this for all their new and existing clients; it is impressive how it immediately improves the appearance of the garden.

What is Mcdonald Staurt Landscaper's top ten plant recommendation?

What is McDonald Stuart Landscaping’s top ten plant recommendations?

Clearly this depends on the site and what you want to achieve, but here goes (in no particular order):

INDIGENOUS TREES :  
•    Celtis Africana            White stinkwood                10x9m
•    Ptaeroxlon obliquum        Sneeze wood            10x6m
•    Ilex mitus                    African Holly            9x8m
•    Heteropyxis natalensis        Lavender Tree            6x5m
•    Dombeya rotundifolia        Wild Pear                    6x4m
•    Halleria lucida            Tree Fuchsia            6x5m
•    Vepris lanceolata        White Ironwood                7x6m
•    Erythrina lysistemon        Coral tree                    8x8m
•    Calodendron capense        Cape Chestnut            8x8m
•    Podocarpus falcatus        Outeniqua Yellowwood       15x12m (eventually)

INDIGENOUS SHRUBS :
•    Freylinia tropica            White Honey Bell Bush        1.7x1.5m
•    Plumbago auriculata        Leadwort                    2x2m
•    Barleria obtuse            Bush Violet                    1x1m
•    Dyschoriste thunbergiflora    Purple Bells            1.7x1.7m
•    Mackaya bella            Forest Bell Bush            3x2m
•    Tinnae barbata            Purple Tinnea            3x2m
•    Buddleia salvifolia        Christmas Bride’s Bush    3x2m
•    Rothmania globosa        Bell Gardenia            4x3m
•    Rhamnus prinoides        Dogwood                    4x4m

INDIGENOUS GROUND COVERS / PERENNIALS :
•    Aloe van balenii            Van Balen’s Aloe                30x50cm
•    Crassula multicava        Fairy Crassula            20x30cm
•    Agapanthus            All species and cultivars     Varies in size
•    Arctotheca calendula        Cape Weed            10x40cm
•    Clivia miniata            Bush Lily                    45x60cm
•    Chlorophytum bowkerii    Giant Chlorophytum        60x60cm
•    Anthericum Saundersiae    Weeping Anthericum        50x25cm
•    Dietes grandiflora        White Wild Iris            75x50cm
•    Tulbaghia violacea        Wild Garlic                    30x25cm (esp.
                                                                                        Silver Lace)
•    Albuca nelsonii            Giant Albuca            40x30cm

EXOTIC TREES :
•    Prunus serrulata                Flowering Cherry        5x5m
•    Cornus Florida            Dogwood                    5x5m
•    Liquidambar styraciflua    Liquidambar            8x6m
•    Acer palmatum            Maple                6x6m
•    Magnolia                    All species and cultivars    Varies
•    Platanus acerifolius        London Plane            12x10m
•    Leriodendron tulipifera       Tulip Tree                    10x9m
•    Cedrus deodar            Deodar                12x9m
•    Taxodium distichium        Swamp Cyprus            10x8m
•    Quercus palustris        Pin Oak                12x8m

EXOTIC SHRUBS :
•    Murraya exotica                Glossy Murraya                2x2m
•    Raphiolepis dalacourii        Indian Hawthorn                2x2m
•    Abelia grandiflora & Abelia “Francis Maison”            2x1.75m
•    Azalea indica            Azalea                3x3m
•    Berberis thunbergii “Atropurpurea”                3x3m
•    Camellia                    All species and cultivars    Varies
•    Cistus purpureus        Cistus                1.2x1m
•    Gardenia florida                Gardenia                    2x2m
•    Hydrangea macrocephala & H.quercifolia            2x2m
•    Nandina domestica “Pygmia"                        1x1m

EXOTIC GROUND COVERS & PERENNIALS :
•    Ajuga reptans            Catlin’s Giant            15x30cm
•    Bergenia cordifolia        Bergenia                    15x30cm
•    Hermerocallis cvs        Day Lily                65x40cm
•    Erigeron karvinskianus     Flea Bane                    30x60cm
•    Gaura lindheimeri        Gaura                65x40cm
•    Carex cvs                    e.g. Frosted Curls        40x40cm
•    Iris                        All species and cultivars    Varies
•    Anemone japonica        Japanese anemone        100x30cm
•    Acanthus mollis            Bear’s Breeches            120x75cm
•    Ophiopogon japonicas        Dwarf Mondo            15x15cm
•    Penstemon digitalis        Penstemon “Mystica”        65x30cm

CLIMBERS (INDIGENOUS & EXOTIC) :
•    Trachelospernum jasminoides Jasmine                    3x3m
•    Clematis Montana        Clematis                    3x2m
•    Parthenocissus tricuspidata    Boston Ivy                    5x5m
•    Bougainvillea “Natalia”                                5x3m
•    Gelsemium sempervirens    Carolina Jasmine        5x3m
•    Mandevilla splendens        Dipladenia                    2x2m
•    Petrea volubilis            Petrea                4x4m
•    Wisteria spp.            Wisteria                    5x4m
•    Hedera helix            Ivy                        5x4m
•    Ficus pumula            Tickey creeper            5x5m

TIP : In drawing up a plant palette it is important to not only select plants that will survive and thrive in your conditions, but to also match the effect that the plants will give to the architecture of the house and to blend the plants together so that the overall effect is one of harmony, while ensuring that the garden looks good throughout the year and that there is something of interest for every season. It’s a tall order to get this right, but it is what we are trained to do and we love doing it!

Which is better: indigenous or exotic plants?

This is totally up to the client, and, while we may have our own personal preferences, we do not explicitly promote one over the other. Certain sites and architectural styles of related buildings guide our decisions as to which would be better, but it is in no-ones best interests for us to force a particular planting palette onto a client. Part of our service is to interpret your preferences into a working proposal and obviously we will guide you away from making mistakes. Generally though, if there are two equal options, one indigenous and one exotic, we will go the indigenous route. Establishing a garden is a long term project, the current trend is towards indigenous and it makes no sense to put in plants that are going to give the client further expense or frustration down the line. Regarding hardiness, there are some exotics that are as hardy as the hardiest of our indigenous plants. Similarly there are many indigenous plants that are very tender and thus only suitable for very select use only in the most ideal conditions. The same can be said of the attributes of water wise, bird attracting or pleasing aesthetic of all potential recommendations for the planting palette for a garden. Often the alternatives are endless and if the first recommendation does not appeal, we can always suggest an alternative that suits the intrinsic ideals of the client and their site.

TIP : McDonald Stuart Landscaping offers a plant sourcing service and can supply all of your plant or material requirements to keep your garden fresh and full at competitive retail prices.

How can I reduce the cost of installing a new garden?

There are many ways to do this. Firstly, be open to the recommendations of the landscaper. We usually recommend the most economical option first. Often by reutilizing what is on site, we can reduce the cost of an installation. We work with what is there, rather than ripping everything out and starting again. The client can always work off our design but install the garden themselves, using their own labour. We can supply all the materials required at competitive retail rates, or the client can shop around and acquire the goods themselves. We firstly do the most important sections, as most of our clients are not able to install the entire garden all at once. We can tackle the more difficult work for the client, and leave the client to do the fun stuff like planting and selecting and installing pots and other decorative features.

TIP : McDonald Stuart Landscaping offers their gardeners at a competitive day rate, which means a client can utilise our staff’s experience and muscle power if they are willing to fetch and supervise the gardeners themselves. If required, the gardeners can be sent with a basic set of tools. Subject to availability of gardeners. Prior booking required.

I want to have my property professionally landscaped. What is the procedure?

We start off with a site visit and a comprehensive brief from the client. During the site visit, we look at the aspect, soil quality, style of existing architecture on site, views, proposed usage of the site and question the client regarding their preferences. Site plans and building plans help, as they usually hold a wealth of information. If clients can write out their brief it often helps to clarify their thoughts so that they can prioritise their needs and gives us a working document to refer back to during the design phase. Once on the drawing board, our creative juices are given free reign and we can then set about turning the client’s dreams into reality. Plans are drawn at a set hourly rate which covers site meetings, surveying on site, design fees and reviews and adjustments. Once the client is thoroughly satisfied with the design, it is inked and coloured and we then draw out a bill of quantities and quote against which we can proceed to installation if the client wants to do this. We can complete the installation in phases or in its entirety, depending on your needs.

TIP : If you don’t want to go the whole route of the commissioning a bespoken landscape design, we offer an hourly consultancy service where we can meet the client on site to give advice or ideas, which the client can then implement at their own pace.

Why do people have their properties lanscaped?

There are many reasons. Most often it is to increase the utility or aesthetic appeal to the owner. Under the careful guidance of an experienced landscaper and with a trusting client, much can be done to turn an otherwise awkward, untidy site into an aesthetically pleasing asset. For those who want to make economic sense of their investment in landscaping, money spent on landscaping will increase the value of their property by up to 15%. This is particularly true if the money is spent on correcting levels, screening for privacy, paving of the drive, improving the entrance area and improving or creating outdoor living areas. Creating extensively planted areas will improve the appeal of the property but will not always increase the value, while a high maintenance garden may reduce the marketability of a property. Be realistic about what you can achieve within your budget available, set yourself goals and stick to a plan of action. Make sure you spend your landscaping budget where it is needed and where you will get the best return when you need to sell.

TIP: A professionally produced and carefully considered landscape design plan can be installed over a period of time, as your budget allows, and will greatly enhance the value of your property.

How should I improve the condition of my soil and when?

This is a vitally important part of establishing a successful garden. The old adage of “Don’t put a R10.00 plant into a 10 cent hole” applies.  Ideally one should spread out a 7cm layer of well rotted compost over the surface of the soil and dig this in.  I prefer a coarse compost as this takes longer to break down in the soil so you get the benefit of it for a longer period. Manure is always a good addition provided it is good quality and well broken down.  It has a high microbial activity which feeds the soil and sustains it for a long period.  It is unfortunately not always readily available commercially.  Too much manure that has not broken down well can burn plants, so take care how you use manures.  Very clayey soils may be improved using agricultural lime or “clay buster”.  Very sandy soils will benefit from an application of coarse compost, but due to the composition of these soils, regular reapplications are necessary.  When planting trees and shrubs, preparation is essential.  Dig a large, square planting pit, putting aside the good topsoil and throwing away any poor subsoil or rock.  Backfill the hole with a good quality topsoil to which you have added one third by volume compost.  Prior to planting is the best time to improve the soil, but for established gardens a side dressing of compost, dug into the soil will certainly help.

TIP :  McDonald Stuart Landscaping stocks Earth to Earth compost which can be sold by the bag or per cube to their clients.