Reviews

The products have worked wonders: the plants are flourishing as if they’re on steroids!

Over the years, Sarchen has created three extraordinary gardens for me, each one uniquely attuned to its environment and to the way my life and creative work have evolved. From a sprawling landscape to smaller, more intimate spaces, her intuitive understanding of soil, light, and balance has ensured that every garden she’s designed has thrived.

Her latest project; the new pergola areas we’re developing in preparation for our wedding, is shaping up to be utterly magical. The fragrance, textures, and plant combinations she’s envisioned promise to make it a sensory delight. Her products have worked wonders: the plants are flourishing as if they’re on steroids!

What sets Sarchen apart is her creative vision and professionalism. She always presents a clear visual journey before installation, which is invaluable for someone like me who doesn’t naturally think in garden form. I trust her implicitly. She brings both artistry and horticultural science to her work yet she’s also open and collaborative, always listening when I have a particular preference or aversion. Her costings are transparent and well-structured, so I know exactly where I stand before we begin.

Every garden she’s built for me feels personal, sensitive to its context, and designed with heart. She combines deep technical knowledge with a genuine passion for creating spaces that feel alive and enduring. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.

Sue Greeff

The Soil Starter Kit is a game-changer!

Sarchen’s latest offering from Natural Gardening Principles in the form of the Soil Starter Kit is a game-changer for the committed environmentalist in all of us. The feed tablet is clean, easier to use and store, and far less pungent in odour than any other organic fertilizer offering on the market. The Awaken mineral elixir and the bio-flavonoid Boost both offer essential elements necessary for soil and plant vitality. The addition of Enliven is, in my opinion, essential for all planting. We inoculate all our plants with it, ensuring wildly successful, intelligent, and communicative root systems.

Sarchen has done all the hard work for you, enjoy the fruits of her labour, and get gardening with Natural Gardening Principles.

Arlo Mitchell
Greencube Landscapes and Gardens

We are all stunned at how well the garden is performing

We own a nursery and landscape service in Stillbaai, and we are managing a special coastal garden installed by Natural Gardening Principles. As part of the handover process, Sarchen presented me with their Soil Starter Kit and instructed me to apply it to the garden and pots. Today, we are all stunned at how well the garden is performing in this rather tough environment.

I also decided to use it on a Star Jasmine at my house, which I had been struggling with for years. I had tried soil drenching it with various liquid products on the market. I even dissolved some well-known fertilizers to make a liquid solution of my own. But nothing worked. However, after one application of the kit, my Star Jasmine sprang to life with fresh new leaves and an abundance of flowers. This had never happened before, but I am absolutely delighted with the results.

Philip Fouche (Fouche Landscaping)
Stillbaai Kwekery

We watched both insect life and soil life flourish

When I first started the soil regeneration programme at the Hydro, the soils were heavy and unresponsive. We were desperate to change this because we had to feed a kitchen focused on health, juicing and fresh produce — so the pressure on our garden was high. We were harvesting the beds almost daily to keep up with demand, which made it challenging to build the soil while still meeting the required yield.

Sarchen was incredibly helpful throughout her consultations, and the products in her Soil Starter Kit became part of our routine from day one. We have continued using them for six years. Her extensive knowledge and research have shaped a remarkable journey — one we’ve shared as we watched both insect life and soil life flourish. What I have especially enjoyed about this process is that it has benefited both people and nature in a genuinely sustainable way.

Alan Knight
Grow to Eat, Stellenbosch Hydro

Sarchen’s focus on soil health has helped me develop my gardens into thriving eco-systems

As a garden designer, Sarchen has been invaluable in assisting a number of my clients to nurture their brand new gardens into flourishing mature landscapes. What sets Sarchen apart is her focus on soil health as the foundation for a garden’s success. I have found her deep knowledge and practical expertise indispensable in developing my gardens into thriving ecosystems. Her infectious passion for truly natural approaches means engaging with her is always a delightful experience.

Carrie Latimer
Garden Designer

Sarchen creates natural and seemingly effortless gardens

We have worked with Sarchen on two projects – one, the continued maintenance of a large villa with extensive grounds, and the other, a new installation at a beach cottage with very limited garden opportunities. She has demonstrated her ability to work at both scales and is adept at understanding how to make the most impact with the landscape design to amplify and best complement the architecture. The sites are both challenging climatically, but her informed plant choices (and attention to the soil) have ensured natural and seemingly effortless gardens.

She brings restraint and ecological best practice to her work, along with a calm & practical professionalism. I very much look forward to more projects with her.

Jane Visser
Jane Visser Architects