Meet the Gardener

May 05, 2007

<b>A jungle garden is the best for people living in confined areas </b><br><br>INITIALLY, it was fashionable to plant trees and flowers in any corner of the compound with one or two lawns to choose from. But now, the trend dictates that a particular section be identified for suitable plants to giv

A jungle garden is the best for people living in confined areas

By Harriet Birungi

INITIALLY, it was fashionable to plant trees and flowers in any corner of the compound with one or two lawns to choose from. But now, the trend dictates that a particular section be identified for suitable plants to give the home an appeal, it so deserves.

Betty Mayanja, the managing director of Plants for Africa and a compound designer, says gardening has been commercialised. Because of the desire to live in homes with well-organised gardens and defined drive-ins, garden professionals are hired and consulted on where to grow which plants.

“Today, more than before, people are determined to have plants in their homes, irrespective of the size of the compound,” added Mayanja.

However, to ensure a harmonious existence between people and their gardens, the designer says there are some things that can guide you. She says for a person who lives in a confined area, a jungle garden is the best option.

This means that one should look out for plants with large striking foliage. Foliage is very much emphasised because it is meant to soften or tone down the effect of buildings and walls in a residence.

Interest should be created by choosing plants with different leaf shapes and texture and differing shades of green. And to bring more life to the garden, plants with vivid blooms like the hibiscus and roses should be used instead of the non-flowering ones.

Plants with bold blooms of red, orange, bright-yellow, shocking-pink or vibrant-purple should be the best choice. A few large clumps of colour among the greenery are preferable to spots of colour throughout the garden.

Alternatively, colourful fruit trees can be an accenting feature in the garden. Trees like pawpaws and oranges, whose fruits ripen, can enhance the beauty.

The concept of a jungle garden is to bring beauty using natural ‘accessories’. That is why green is meant to be a dominant colour with splashes of carefully placed vibrant flowers.

“This whole scenario can be more pronounced with a water feature, such as a swimming pool, adjacent to plants so that the foliage is reflected in the water. Jungle plants have shallow or small root systems, so there should be no fear of damaging the pool,” notes Mayanja.

And if your home is on the hill, consider yourself blessed. You have an ideal sight for a waterfall. However, if the garden is so small, you can opt to paint the garden wall with abstract works of art, like wild animals and birds.

Mayanja says where possible, clay pots should be used, particularly those with antique finishing. These should be placed by the drive-way.

A lawn should, however, never be forgotten, adds Mayanja. A lawn should be resilient and should be before the jungle plants, with no interruptions of trees growing in it for it to give an appearance of a large compound.

“A home with a large compound, can be made interesting by having desert or jungle gardens in each corner. A desert garden constitutes of rocky stones, sand and thin-leaved plants. The compound can also be designed into steps or levels, with a swimming pool on the lower level, a fountain and gazebo. The main reason of having all these accessories is to attract people to different levels, to fully utilise the whole place,” Mayanja explains.

However, she warns that maintenance is high. Supervising a big garden is hard, calls for a lot of time and requirements like water and manure which usually make the maintenance costs high.

But to effectively manage or cut down maintenance costs, a lot of ground cover plants should be used to preserve water in the ground. Resilient lawn plants like paspalum, creeping gold grass are some of the options for the ground cover plants.

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