Planting plan for a bushveld inspired garden

Be inspired by this small, low-maintenance garden which packs in loads of cleverly designed, built-in features that make having friends around a breeze

This cleverly designed garden incorporates all the elements of the bushveld, sans the wild animals, in a very small space

Upcycled wooden crates act as seating.

Escaping to the bush and into nature is a luxury that many of us don’t get to enjoy too often. This amazing show garden at Plantland, Cornwall Hill, Gauteng brings the bushveld to us and shows just how easy it is to create this space in your own backyard.

The fleshy leaves of the aloes emphasise the rustic look of the garden.

This garden was designed by Amanda Kleynhans, Leslie de Vries and Rina Jones from the Irene School of Garden Design and features a number of cost-effective ideas, allowing you to create an affordable outdoor space where you can enjoy the tranquillity of nature without having to travel from home.

Aloe ‘Tiger Eye’.

The decking was made using recycled wooden pallets, an old disc plough is used as a firepit and basic wooden crates make the seating. The plants are all water wise which means you save on that as well.

"Agave geminiflora" has spiky foliage which contrasts with the softer forms of "Nandina domestica" and "N. domestica ‘Pygmaea

The selection of plants, from wild olive trees (Olea europaea subsp. africana), Nandina domestica to Cape thatching reed (Elegia tectorum), creates privacy and the sense of a secluded outdoor room.

Large white concrete pots planted with Aloe ‘Saffron’ create a boundary along one side of the firepit area.

Plants with different leaf textures, such as aloes, agaves and liriope, were chosen to bring the garden to life and their ultimate mature size was also considered. “This is essential in a small space to prevent plants overwhelming the rest of the design,” explain the designers.

A rusted disc plough makes a rustic firepit and is surrounded by dump rock to form the focal point of this garden retreat.

“We envisaged this garden as being the ideal spot for greeting the day with morning tea or for experiencing the magical African sunset and stars around a campfire,” explains Amanda.

GET THE LOOK

Download the plan for this garden, plus the lists of plants and hard landscaping materials you’ll need to implement it.Planting plan