Page 21 - Landscape-Issue151

COMPANY PROFILE

designed by Gill Higgins of Uys and White
Landscape Architects. Her designs featured
rugged African elements incorporating
huge sandstone boulders with large, ex-
open ground trees and Aloes.
At Izinga Phase 2, sandstone boulders
were moved from the Cornubia
construction site, with 1000 L Paperbark
Thorn (Acacia sieberiana var woodii)
and ex-open ground Aloe ferox trees
being brought in – this earned Idube
Landscaping its first SALI gold award.
Thereafter they completed the Cornubia
Precinct landscaping project in a record
15 days for the mall opening, winning
another SALI Gold award as well as the
SAGIC trophy for Intelligent Use of Water.
Next was the Sibaya Precinct landscaping
project on Heleza Boulevard, Sibaya,
where their use of rock, a variety of aloes,
Spekboom, ex-open ground Coral trees,
Swazi Figs and tree aloes won them their
third SALI gold award, as well as the national
SAGIC Trophy for the Best Landscape
Lemuria Golf Course in Praslin, Seychelles
Construction Project, the most prestigious
landscaping award in South Africa. They
that was broken up by huge excavators, with hydraulic hammers also completed the landscaping at Gold Coast Estate which included
called ox peckers, and then milled into sand particles. Blackbeard’s the entrance, sports area and park, obtaining a SALI silver award.
responsibilities included ensuring that the greens sand complied
with USGA specifications, an exacting process of refining a very
limited particle size range between 0.01 - 3mm, which was mixed Tierra Landscapes
with Sri Lankan coco peat and sent to a laboratory in Scotland. In 2023, Blackbeard branched out on his own, launching
Live grass sprigs had to be imported with all necessary Tierra Landscapes. Tierra is a Spanish word meaning earth,
phytosanitary certificates from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for the onsite but encompassing all the natural elements such as soil,
nursery. Cynodon dactylon ‘Tif’ was used on the fairways and ‘Tif’ water, air, plants and animals, which in essence sums up his
Dwarf for the greens. Fairway shaping was done by a west coast landscaping philosophy.
expert and Blackbeard installed the greens sand, shaping each He took over the maintenance at Gold Coast Estate,
green to Letsche’s design. Some of the greens were huge - the and currently works with the landscaping committee to
par 3 first hole was 750 m2 and with amusement, Blackbeard saw continually upgrade the gardens, making them more user
Ernie Els drive the green and then make a double bogey. Another friendly for the residents.
interesting feature was the dry stack stone walls from Scottish links He was awarded the garden maintenance contract at
courses. Signature Sibaya Estate and given the task of transforming
The cherry on top, says Blackbeard, was flying back to Mauritius a barren stormwater servitude into a park that would attract
with Ernie Els in his private jet, a Gulf Stream Five, for the opening birds and butterflies onto the estate from the Sibaya Coastal
round. Today Anahita Golf Course is the venue for the Mauritius Reserve. Trees common to the coastal forest for nesting and
Open, the only other golf tournament of the European Tour to take shelter, fruit bearing and nectar plants and grasses with seed
place on the African continent. are integral to the forest ecology. This project was featured in
Soon after this, Blackbeard started working with Harold Moffatt the May edition of Landscape SA magazine.
at Idube Landscaping in Durban, and they successfully tendered
for several landscaping projects for Tongaat Hulett Properties, The company’s mission statement is to create landscapes
within urban environments that provide habitats for local
fauna and flora.

Text and photos supplied by Billy Blackbeard of Tierra Landscapes. n

Signature Estate landscaping in KZN

Check us out www.salandscape.co.za Landscape SA • Issue 151 2025 19