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Commercial Outdoor Entertainment Area
A commercial outdoor entertainment area creates a vibrant and dynamic place where excitement and relaxation can blend seamlessly under the open sky. An outdoor entertainment area is the perfect setting for creating memorable moments that foster collaboration. It also provides a much-needed sanctuary during working hours for staff to enjoy a space to clear the mind. An Area That Increases Relaxation (by seducing the brain) We’ve mentioned kerb (or curb) appeal a few times on our blog page. Kerb appeal is the term given to the visual impression you give passersby and visitors. It’s the first impression, the eye contact before a handshake. Visual appeal is important, a look at the brain proves it and a commercial outdoor entertainment area enhances it. When outdoors (or in nature), your brain immediately switches gears, as the back cortex signals the frontal cortex that it’s time to relax. It does this with endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, which makes it feel like a “mild ecstasy”. There are ways to increase this sensation. Combine the comforts of indoor living with the calming effects of nature to pack a powerful punch to your work day. A commercial outdoor entertainment area, on a weekday, serves to entertain staff and visitors. To achieve a balance between nature and comforts, incorporate plants into the design. Pot plants are versatile and enhance the brain chemistry we call ‘relaxation’. Pillars with a few creepers and vines offer an Italian vintage villa appeal. Neat and trimmed topiaries provide a modern and upmarket sensation – it’s all about the style that works for you. Networking At Its Best There’s no joy like sharing a few cold ones with work colleagues. For this to work, it’s important to have a spacious area that everyone feels comfortable in, and, that can handle a little mess
Sports Ground Specialists To Up Your Game
FSG are the Pitch Perfect Sports Ground Specialists. Sports fields are the unsung heroes of the game. Unless something is amiss or out of place, the sports field goes unnoticed and rightly so. The sports field’s job is to facilitate the game and the more efficiently it does that, the less likely it is that the sportsmen notice it. Achieving the perfect turf, whether you’re a golfer or a rugby player, is about your lawn maintenance routine. It takes rigorous work and a well-thought-out maintenance schedule to keep the grass maintained. Then, even with the perfect plan, pests crawl in. Or the grass suffers in the heat. It fails to thrive, and one single oversight can ruin the season’s sports surface. This may affect a game or two, or it could affect your season’s revenue, impacting your reputation and your ability to attract more business. Spring lawn maintenance and care Now that spring has sprung, it’s officially sports season. FSG loves this time of year, it’s our time to shine. Sports season means it’s time to relook at the condition of your sports fields and re-evaluating your care procedures. Caring for your sports field is an investment, it’s supposed to enhance what you offer people – better sports terrains attracts more sportsmen. The types of turf selected for sports fields withstand foot traffic (the impact of running and walking), offer heat resilience, and drought tolerance. Maintenance requirements are also factored in, tougher grass needs less fussing. If you’re looking for perfection across a rugby field, you can’t have a lawn that requires ongoing cajoling and gentle care. You need a tough variety that boasts resilience and thrives in heat. The Sports Ground Specialists Know The Best Turf Varieties The Sports Ground Specialists can provide you with better results if you’re
An Evergreen Sports Field
Maintaining a turf designed to facilitate sports is different, and the needs of an evergreen sports field are far more complex. It’s simply not the same as the garden lawn. A sports field needs to be as even as the floor in your home. It can not have any irregularities – denser areas can make or break the game. The slightest bump or bare patch can be devastating during a match. If the quality of the sports field sways a game, it reflects negatively on the premises. Everyone – from the players to the audience will know if the pitch has played a part in a goal that is lost. Your evergreen sports field can impact your income This is why schools, stadiums, and sports clubs are scrutinised with such care before their services are employed. Some of the most important elements to a sports field include: Rigidity – to ensure the turf resists compression and handles impact well Elasticity – refers to the turf’s ability to ‘bounce back’ after impact Resistance – for lawn that handles extreme temperatures and drought Recuperative Capacity – refers to turf’s ability to regrow vibrantly Yield – refers to getting a thicker and denser turf Verdure – turf that is vibrant and green Rooting – is about providing the turf with rooting medium that allows for proper water filtration, assimilation of nutrients, and enough room to grow and expand. Proper rooting will result in a thinner thatch later and greener, softer grass. Small bumps, mounds, patches of dead grass, and areas that are lusher than others seriously interfere with a sportsman’s game. A bumpy field is one of the most common challenges faced by a sports field. Getting it perfectly smooth and maintaining it that way throughout ongoing games on the field during the
Maropeng project upgrades
Have you visited the Maropeng project we did? Maropeng is a beautiful place that we recently had the pleasure of upgrading it. We also recently completed our work at the Cradle of Humankind. This historic world heritage site holds meaning to all of us. It’s the location where some of the oldest human remains have been found, which is why it’s been named the Cradle of Humankind. Archaeologists believe this is where the first prehistoric hominids originate from. Maropeng’s background Maropeng is the only World Heritage Site in Gauteng, and the local government has invested as much as R189 million to the infrastructure in this region in an attempt to boost the local geospatial tourism. The 47 000-hectare site has been a well-loved tourist destination for some time, with the Sterkfontein Caves nearby (the location where “Mrs. Ples”, and “Little Foot”, dated 2.3 and 4.17 million years old, were first discovered), a wedding venue, a visitor’s area (an educational display) and the new plans, which entail a natural picnic and outdoor function venue, complete with professional lighting. With the renewed goal of boosting the local economy through tourism, FSG was brought in to deliver a large-scale landscaping installation. The vision for the massive site was a picnic venue that would be used for any number of functions, including weddings. The end result had to be breathtaking while it still blends in with the natural arid landscape of the region. Maropeng project upgrades, creating Stone Park We sent 30 dedicated staff members to work on this Maropeng project. Due to the sensitivity of the location, we had to implement every measure imaginable to ensure the local fauna and flora was not disturbed. The entire perimeter that we were working within, had to be fenced. We also had to have an archaeologist
La Vie Nouvelle Landscape and Wetlands
La Vie Nouvelle Landscape and Wetlands make moving to a retirement village an exciting prospect. The thought of ageing can bring on grey hairs. Many of us look forward to retiring, but when it finally arrives it brings its own set of challenges. Many retirees who have spent their lives working, find the new freedom difficult. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, sometimes boredom can creep in. Keeping up with the advances in the rest of the world becomes impossible. An exciting new phase of life begins La Vie Nouvelle means ‘New Life’ in French, and that’s what this unique retirement estate is providing its residents. More than just an estate that houses retirees, La Vie Nouvelle invites its residents to enjoy the outdoors. For this purpose, they provide a rich and diverse natural landscape. The 4 major ways nature affects our health Spending time in nature has positive effects on your health. Here are a few interesting points that recent health studies have discovered: Mental health: 20 minutes per day outdoors can almost halve the symptoms of depression. Inflammation: there’s research indicating that time outdoors lowers inflammation levels in the body. Fresh air and gentle sunshine help to boost our vitamin D levels and help with the circulation of oxygenated blood. Gentle exercise, like walking outdoors, is roughly 20% more beneficial than exercising indoors. Holland has over 600 farms offering eco-therapy (a treatment where patients are outdoors as much as possible) for people who battle with various mental illnesses. If being in nature holds this much benefit to those who are mentally ill, imagine what it can do if we make it part of our daily lives. La Vie Nouvelle has created the perfect for setting for ‘happily ever after’. The landscape of La Vie Nouvelle’s wetland Grieta Webb did the landscaping
Landscaping transformation at Brightwater Commons
Managing a property, running premises, and getting your ducks in a row takes a special kind of skill. You’re a successful juggler, keeping everything moving as it should, never dropping the ball. It’s tough, but you’re holding on. Then you get miracle workers. Those who arrive on the scene and take over the juggling act for you. Like magic, everything starts flowing and you find yourself breathing. You’re no longer pushed for time, pushed for resources, or pushed for sanity. Are you looking for a miracle worker? We swoop in and grab a hold of the landscaping, the security, the hygiene, or whichever other services you’re needing to be done, and we get it done. Perfectly. A Landscaping transformation at Brightwater Commons Brightwater Commons, soon to be known as Ferndale Mall, is known for its spectacular water displays and lush flowing greenery. We’re collaborating with other contractors, as the plan for the landscaping was drawn up by a landscaping architect. We’re installing over 2 KMs of 50 MM irrigation mainline. This gives you an idea of the scope of what we’re doing. We’re adding new indigenous plants, transplanting larger old plants (this is no mean feat) and adding a modern and vibrant look to an old venue. We’re bringing in big numbers We’re bringing 2500m3 Insitu topsoil. The idea is that we need flowing lines which wrap around the venue elegantly. We’re going for smaller, dainty plants with different textures and appeals, like dietes bicolour, crocosmia aurea, kniphofia praecox, freylinia tropica and lots more. We’ll be keeping the gardens in great condition with an ongoing maintenance plan, and we’ll also be adding zeolite to the topsoil. This will help to retain moisture, keeping the garden flourishing throughout drought conditions. The highlight? Each season will see flowers blooming in a different
Water-wise plants for a South African garden
There has never been a better time in South Africa to include water-wise plants in your landscape, not only to decrease water consumption but also to keep your commercial premises in a good state, visually. Drought should not mean your property should devalue, in fact, by implementing strategies that help you to get through this dry period, you are actually setting your premises up to run at lower costs forever. Sound good? You can start by choosing the right water-wise plants. Water-wise plants have stems that are quite firm, supporting the plant and leaves regardless of the amount of water that it contains, preventing the obvious droop of wilting. You can learn to recognise the species of plants that have adapted to dry conditions by identifying the characteristics that protect them. Namely, these include: Smaller leaves, leaves with hairs on, spikes, tough, woody internal structures, succulent leaves and stems, and grey/silver coloured foliage. Here are a few examples of tough, drought-resistant plants. Bearded Irises These beauties come in a wide variety of colours, which makes sense considering Iris is the name of the Greek goddess of the rainbow! These bulbous plants are evergreen perennials, meaning while they only flower during the warmer months, they give you a vibrant look all year with their long leaves. Incredibly, these pretties are able to withstand tough drought conditions, they thrive in full sun or light afternoon shade, and handle frost fairly well too. Not bad for a pretty flower! Plant them in large groups for a beautiful effect. Tulbaghia violacea Also known as Wild Garlic, Tulbaghia violacea effectively cover the ground in lively, purple flowers when they are massed together. They resist dry spells very well and handle periods of heavy rains beautifully too. With time they will spread, and clumps can be
South Hills Park Gauteng Landscaping Project
FSG loves projects that uplift the community with recreational areas like South Hills Park Gauteng. This is a great example of a project that will add greatly to the quality of life the children in the area enjoy. This communal space will benefit those making use of the housing development of Calgro M3 Development, in Johannesburg South. FSG took a barren area of around 14 000m² and created a safe haven for children and families to enjoy. The brief given to FSG required an environmentally-friendly approach to the project, reusing and recycling as much as possible. The area needs to be a lush, grassy park furnished with braai facilities and recreational play equipment for children. This landscaping project will take place over a three-month time period, and it will require FSG to make major positive changes both to the visible landscape and to the soil quality to ensure that the newly planted fauna and flora thrives. Adding plants to the landscape meant a comprehensive planting plan was needed, containing lots of water-wise plants that will offer pops of summer colour. Flowering plants such as Limonium perezii, Strelitzia reginae, and Carpobrotus edulis ground cover will add the desired summer hues. Winters will also be vibrant, thanks to the succulent groundcover Crassula ‘campfire’ and the pink plumes of Melinis nerviglumis. Some of the unique design ideas to be used at South Hills Park Gauteng is to incorporate and make use of as much of the existing ‘waste’ materials from the site as possible, therefore, FSG will be implementing a “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” philosophy in a very practical way. Grassy berms and slides are created from broken and unused water pipes. A sand pit area will be surrounded by colourful, painted secondhand tyres that are salvaged from the site and around town. This
Landscape Installation at Eagle Canyon Estate
One of FSG’s projects included a combination of our landscaping and site clearing service at Eagle Canyon Golf Estate. Our client’s newly completed home required a full landscape design, incorporating both custom hard and soft landscaping, with installation, as well as site clearing. We designed a custom garden to suit our client’s brief and needs and undertook the complete installation process with a highly skilled team. The once-off landscaping installation incorporated custom designed features, which included a stone cladding for feature retainer walls and the swimming pool wall, custom-made pergola and steel trellis, and retaining garden beds. We delivered beautiful garden mix soil, planted large screening trees, garden beds and large pots (which we also supplied), and installed an artificial lawn. All the soil medium, compost, and organic mulch were imported by FSG. The complete installation also included the laying of paving and the felling and pruning of the existing overgrown trees. The challenges All projects come with their own unique challenges and this installation was not without its fair share. One of the most prominent difficulties this site presented was the restriction of space. Lack of available space meant deliveries of large amounts of soil were out of the question, resulting in smaller loads needing to be delivered more frequently. There were also several contractors on site at the same time, all trying to reach the same deadline. The crowded space required patience, teamwork, and the occasional fix-up where other contractors work interfered with the garden. To resolved the neighbours screening concerns we brought in large evergreen trees to create privacy between the properties. While the trees had to be as big as possible, they needed to be a manageable size for the FSG garden technicians to carry them up a staircase to the planting area. The layout of