SALI GOLD: Tree installation via scaffolding

The Brief…

The client required large, ornamental trees that could provide her with instant privacy and an oasis garden where she can relax in peace. The trees needed to be sculptural and beautiful to look at. The client also didn’t want very dense trees. She preferred trees that could provide privacy whilst still providing dappled sunlight into her garden.

The species selected were 500-litre Vachellia xanthophloea and Caesalpinia ferrea.

The Challenge…

There was no crane access to the back garden, situated over 8 stories high.

The solution…

Use the neighbour’s tower crane to lift the trees over the building and then build special scaffolding to cart the trees to the back garden into the planting positions.

Here’s the details:

• We had to park our crane truck and other vehicles in one of the busiest streets in the Cape Peninsula and road closure permits are rarely granted for this road.
• The neighbour’s tower crane was used to lift and place 8 x 500L trees on the corner of the client’s roof at the maximum reach possible for the crane.
• Special scaffolding ramp was built by subcontractor, extending over the roof of the property, to be able to deliver the trees to the garden area.
• We had to work at dangerous heights, which involved full rope access safety equipment, under the supervision of our in-house safety officer.
• Trees were carted on scaffolding ramp via dolley over the house’s roof to the back garden, where it was planted by hand.
• There was limited movement space within the actual garden due to large construction of the retaining wall below as well as other holes for concrete construction next to the trees’ planting holes.

Additional Challenge….

2016-2018 Western Cape Drought:

These trees were installed during one of the worst drought conditions of Cape Town. We had to reduce the watering of the trees quite significantly to just ensure that the trees can survive. The client had water tanks that she filled up from water she had brought in from elsewhere. Considering these very challenging conditions, and the limited watering scheme, the trees could’ve probably been larger by now, but have survived and are now thriving and also completely independent from artificial watering.

In 2021, this project won a SALI GOLD Award of Excellence in the Specialised Landscape Construction Category.

“Trees South Africa is commended for going above and beyond for their client” – SALI National Judge