Hermanus landscaping 101: A successful garden begins from the ground up!

The foundation to any successful landscaping project or healthy garden in Hermanus is soil preparation, without doubt the landscaping and gardening efforts put into ensuring a healthy soil teaming with beneficial garden organisms and rich in nutrients will determine the success of your landscaping, planting and gardening activities.

The soil conditions found in Hermanus are generally quite challenging often being of a sandy porous nature characterized by a hydrophobic tendency which often results in the very frustrating and infamous local gardening exercise of watering for hours only to discover that the water barely penetrates the garden surface! The solution to this Hermanus landscaping and garden maintenance dilemma - compost and copious quantities 
thereof.

Compost is key to Landscaping and gardening in Hermanus

Proper and adequate landscape composting is essential to a successful garden in Hermanus as it:

•  Improves the structure and texture of  the soil.
•  Improves the water holding capacity and drainage characteristics of our garden soil.
•  Provides vital nutrients and beneficial bacteria needed for healthy pest and disease resistant plants.

Hermanus gardeners should aim for a generous compost covering of at least three fingers deep throughout all newly landscaped areas and worked thoroughly up to a spade deep into the newly prepared garden beds and landscaping. 

Before planting leave the enriched soil for at least two weeks allowing it time to mature and develop in anticipation for its newly planned landscaping, trust us, your plants will flourish in gratitude.

A flourishing Hermanus landscape planting begin with Compost

 Don’t forget to wet the soil regularly using your irrigation or garden sprinkler system.

Once established your Hermanus garden and landscaping will greatly benefit from an ongoing regular annual composting programme ensuring that your soil remains friable and healthy able to support your gardening efforts and ensure a thriving Hermanus garden and landscape.

Look out for my next post on fertilization best practices.

Warren 

Modern Natural Landscaping