Page 11 - Landscape-Issue152

PROJECT

grasses and flowering perennials support
insect life and small pollinators, while also
respecting the aviation requirement to
limit the attraction of birds;
*environmental improvement: the site
contained existing plant material from a
previous landscape provider but lacked
structure and cohesion, and the client
stressed that Servest was to use a different
approach. They reshaped the layout to
improve soil health and visual flow;
*functionality and contextual awareness:
as the site is an active airport, safety was
important. The planting scheme avoided
elements that would attract larger birds,
as they pose a risk to aircraft. The design
respected both the operational context of
the site as well as the expectations of local
Lavender and Agapanthus in planter boxes provide good colour and are drought-tolerant once established
and international visitors.
Site challenges and installation
One of Servest’s main site challenges was
the timelines, as several aspects were
running simultaneously – the installation
of pumps, new lawns and irrigation.
Water pressure was limited and plants
needed sufficient water to establish. The
site was constantly busy and areas under
construction had to take vehicle traffic
into consideration, while ensuring that
teams could work safely.
The installation was completed in six
weeks. Since the project was an upgrade
and the site contained existing flower
beds, these had to be cleared first. The
setting out of plants was carried out
on site by the landscape designer and
installation team together.
In the case of existing planter boxes,
gravel, soil and some Aloes needed
to be removed so that waterproofing
could be installed. This was necessary to
ensure that water could not seep through
Planters in the management parking area contained Combretum erythrophyllum trees which were removed during the rainy months or in the event
and replaced by Olea europaea (olive) trees of the irrigation system malfunctioning.
After completion of the waterproofing,
a drainage layer was installed and the
planter boxes were filled up with a new
and fresh planting medium.
Plants for the planter boxes were
carefully chosen, using Agapanthus
‘Nana White’ at the top and Lavender
at the bottom. Together these plants
provide beautiful colour, while also being
drought-tolerant once established. The
Agapanthus does not grow too tall and
the root system does not interfere with
the planter box waterproofing.

Plant material and planter boxes
A low maintenance and water wise plant
palette was chosen, and over 3000 plants
and trees were planted. As site conditions
are open and exposed, many indigenous,
evergreen trees were introduced,
including 600 Olive trees (40 and 20 lts).
salvia and grasses were also planted and
as the soil was depleted and did not have
a healthy appearance, ample compost
Airport signage and organic material was worked in.

Check us out www.salandscape.co.za Landscape SA • Issue 152 2025 9