Landscape design in South Africa is as diverse as the terrain it responds to, from indigenous planting and ecological restoration to highly composed gardens that blur the boundary between architecture and nature. For the 2026 House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards, four landscape designers – Hannes Stander, Carrie Latimer, Patrick Watson and Tim Steyn – bring distinct perspectives shaped by experience, place and a deep understanding of the living landscape. Here, we look at the practices and philosophies behind their work and what has made each a notable voice in South African garden design.
Hannes Stander
Hannes Stander is a prominent South African landscape designer and the co-founder of Ecozest, a premier creative studio established in 2006, alongside his life partner, DP Ferreira. Holding a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pretoria, Hannes brings nearly three decades of industry expertise across residential and commercial sectors.
While his signature aesthetic is deeply rooted in the scenic Garden Route, his versatile portfolio spans projects across South Africa, Botswana, and Uganda. Known for creating nature-inspired landscapes, Hannes's work has been widely celebrated in top-tier design publications. Their own magnificent property, Highacre Garden, co-created with DP, was also featured on VIA TV’s lifestyle series Mooi. A master of bringing sophisticated, living design to life, Hannes is nominated for the prestigious 2026 Condé Nast House & Garden Landscape Designer of the Year award.
Carrie Latimer
Garden designer Carrie Latimer has redefined landscape design over the past decade, shifting from purely aesthetic gardens to creating biodiverse, functioning ecosystems. Her designs, rooted in the belief that nature is timeless, embrace naturalistic, free-form spaces that feel alive yet composed. Latimer’s process begins with a deep understanding of the site’s light, soil, and ecology, allowing the land to guide the design. By collaborating closely with architects from the start, she ensures a seamless integration of architecture and landscape, transforming built spaces into harmonious extensions of the natural environment.
Patrick Watson
Patrick Watson is one of South Africa’s most distinctive landscape designers, with a career spanning more than four decades and more than 200 gardens across Africa. Born in Johannesburg in 1947, he developed an early fascination with plants, ecology and the veld, influenced by his architect father and keen gardening mother. His work ranges from intimate private gardens to major landscapes including Sun City, the Palace of the Lost City, Steyn City, Spier Wine Estate and Nirox Sculpture Park. Largely self-taught, Watson combines extensive botanical knowledge with an intuitive, site-responsive approach, favouring indigenous planting and ecological restoration. His work is documented in the 2024 book Veld.
Tim Steyn
Tim Steyn is a South African landscape designer whose work spans high-end residential gardens, lodges and golf courses across South Africa and internationally. Raised in KwaZulu-Natal’s Midlands, Steyn grew up surrounded by gardening, with his mother, Elizabeth Steyn, an established South African garden designer. After working for a commercial landscaping company, he established Tim Steyn Landscaping in 2004, developing a practice focused on creating richly planted, carefully considered outdoor spaces. His portfolio includes gardens in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, as well as work in Zimbabwe, Portugal and the United States. He is perhaps best known for the acclaimed Brahman Hills garden, designed during lockdown and recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Together, these four nominees demonstrate the breadth of contemporary landscape design in South Africa. From Hannes Stander’s nature-inspired compositions and Carrie Latimer’s biodiverse ecosystems to Patrick Watson’s decades of botanical expertise and Tim Steyn’s richly planted, site-responsive gardens, each has developed a distinctive relationship with the land. Their approaches may differ, but all four understand that successful landscape design extends beyond aesthetics: it is about creating places that respond to their surroundings, evolve with time and deepen the connection between people and nature.
Credits
Images: Elsa Young, Supplied, Courtesy of Brahman Hills
