Slow Time

This time-mellowed Joburg garden reflects its owners’ love of rambling imperfection

Words Tess Paterson Photographs Christoph Hoffmann

14 years ago this one-acre garden in Hurlingham, Joburg, was pretty much a shambles – an unkempt tangle of pines and gum trees that had suffered decades of benign neglect. ‘The fact that nobody had gardened here was ideal,’ explains the owner. ‘We knew that we could make it our own and put our stamp on it without being influenced by an existing design.’

After demolishing the house, the owners then re-built, envisioning a sizable pool and expansive stretch of lawn as their primary view. A magnificent oak dominates the eastern stretch, with enough space beneath its boughs to comfortably seat 40 for lunch.