The original Georgian homes in the Cape were all whitewashed in lime and chalk. ‘I think the white shade is just perfect with the colours of green reflecting off the natural flora of Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch,’ comments Lola.
The original Georgian homes in the Cape were all whitewashed in lime and chalk. ‘I think the white shade is just perfect with the colours of green reflecting off the natural flora of Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch,’ comments Lola.
Lola likes to walk around her property every day. Here she strolls through her forest of silver birch trees.
The fountain, with steps on either side that lead to the pedestrian gate. This majestic feature counterbalances the weightiness of the imposing house opposite.
A dense hedge of Cape silver oak (Brachylaena discolor) shields the pool area against the vast expanse of sky and the force of the wind. White gora grows in thick lines. Cement pots in a row at the base of the house are planted with viburnum.
Terracotta pots are placed on alternative steps to soften the edges between steps and wall.
PAGE 161: Atop the fountain in the herb garden, this sculpture of Artemis, the Greek goddess of fruitfulness, looks over the winelands of Groot Constantia and beyond to False Bay.
The decorative ‘doughnuts’ in the formal herb garden are precision-cut kooigoed (Helichrysum petiolare). The Khoi people drank this medicinal plant as an infusion to promote longevity, and put it to practical use when they filled their sleeping bags with its soft leaves for comfort. English lavender is trimmed into low hedging and shaped around a variety of herbs.
Orchids indigenous to Thailand are planted in conical hanging baskets. Lola explains: ‘I buy them in full flower and when they die down, I hang them from this laurel tree. When they bloom again, I return them to the house to be enjoyed.’
‘Eugene, being the keen fisherman that he is, travels the world, but when he is here he likes to fish for tuna and game fish off Hout Bay. But I hate the smell of fish inside my house! It penetrates everywhere, even into the upholstery,’ exclaims Lola. ‘We love our proteas, so we have dedicated the area under the pincushion shrub to fish entertaining and braais.’
Lola and Eugene Clarke’s house and garden are a fusion of their shared preference for bold architecture and expansive landscaping. Lola, once a classical ballerina, has a finely tuned eye and an intuitive sense of clean lines, balance and style.
Bordering on the famous wild almond hedge planted by Jan van Riebeeck, a national heritage site alongside the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens, the property is perched on a ridge at the foot of Table Mountain. Lola grew up in a large home in Ceres, surrounded by mountains, which is why Wilde Amandel appealed. Its Georgian style was inspired by the original architecture of the British-controlled Cape Colony.
Lola explains, ‘We were very clear on where we wanted to live when we decided to move our primary home from Johannesburg to Cape Town. There are only eight properties on this ridge … and most of them have been passed on for generations. The property offers everything in abundance: sensual pleasures that I experienced as a child, the mountain breeze, winter cloud, soft drizzle, natural animal life, rolling lawns, big trees and the heady smell of fragrant flowers.
‘The previous owner planted avocado trees from which we receive a generous harvest every year. A massive tulip tree, yellowwood trees, ash trees, camphor trees, wild almond trees, liquid ambers and a cabbage tree make up the complement of interesting trees in the garden. The property was very overgrown and derelict … Our resident architect Luis da Cruz, my husband and I were the designers of Wilde Amandel as you see it today. Landscaper Franchesca Watson advised me on the planting at the pedestrian and main gates.’
‘The fierce brutality of the north-west wind in winter … rumbles over the mountain, rattling the sash windows. Our trees are pruned by it, so they are a bit lopsided.’