Framed by fine-leafed ferns, an enchanting Italian bronze of a young boy bitten by a crab.
The owners designed a pool in an informal, natural shape to blend in with the surroundings. A pair of life-sized bronze bushbuck by sculptor Owen Lewellyn Davis are realistically arranged in the landscaping around the private pool.
A diverse mix of indigenous plants has enhanced the bushveld-like atmosphere of the watering hole.
Expanses of lawn offset the flora and provide a stage for the largest collection of Shona sculptures in South Africa. The highly emotive works by Dominic Benhura displayed here – full of life, laughter and joy – add a playful dimension to the gardens. Benhura has been honoured for his contribution to the transformation of Shona stone carvings into world-class modern art.
There is much symbolism in this authentically designed Japanese garden, for which lanterns, bridges, statues and other Japanese antiquities were imported. Stones have been carefully placed to guide the spirit. Plants include traditional conifers, azaleas, acers, flowering cherries, wisteria creeper and mondo grass. The tree in the centre below is a bonsai pine.
Stone carvings, of girls washing their hair, by Gregory Mutasa.
Deep in the misty belt of Kloof in KwaZulu-Natal, inland from the coast, is a piece of paradise – a virtually undiscovered and beautifully landscaped 30-acre garden brimming exotically with orchids, camellias, rhododendrons and giant azaleas. It is Makaranga Lodge.
‘Makaranga’ has a dual meaning – it is a wild poplar tree, and the name of the local African tribe who lived near the owner during her childhood in Zimbabwe. The property, juxtaposing graceful ponds with sculptures all seemingly carved out of the botanical environs, plays host to blue duiker, water mongoose, otters, porcupines and tree dassies. Even the odd genet cat puts in an appearance.
When Zimbabweans Danna and Chick Flack purchased the property, they were determined to continue the work of the previous owner who had a penchant for the exotic. They appointed landscaper Phil Page, well known for his empathetic and passionate approach to nature, as well as his love for the preservation of the area’s wildlife. By introducing extraordinarily shaped rocks and more indigenous plants, the birdlife has dramatically increased, further enhancing Makaranga as a world-class botanical environment.
A series of ponds in the meandering riverine valley are all fed by a natural waterfall and a spring. Some of the ponds form the focus of an authentic Japanese garden. Aside from the riverine area, a large percentage of the garden has been remodeled, with beds created to incorporate individual shrubs and trees. The owners love of sculpture is evident throughout the garden, which showcases a significant collection of Shona stone carvings by world-acclaimed Zimbabwean sculptor Dominic Benhura.
Indigenous macaranga riverine trees (Macaranga capensis).
‘I love stone, and the sound it makes … like music … like rhythm … at night when you can only hear the birds and the sound of stones … I like to work at night.’