Up close and personal with landscaper Priscilla Banda

We chat to landscaper Priscilla Banda who designed a colourful, low-maintenance garden sponsored by Garden and Home at this year’s Garden World Spring Festival

Why did you choose this career?
Despite having studied Systems Analysis and Design and being admitted as a Licentiate Member of the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (LIMIS), I have always had a very strong passion for landscape design. I love to transform spaces. I’m now an accredited member of the Guild of Landscape Designers (GoLD).

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?
Alan Titchmarsh, from the TV show Ground Force, my ever supportive husband, Bwezani, who is an architect, and my two adorable children – Bryan, who is studying Architecture, and Thokozani, who is studying Urban and Regional Planning and majoring in property valuation and management. They all inspire me.

Your landscaping style in three words
Aesthetics, functional and minimalistic.

Instagram, Twitter or Facebook?
Facebook.

What current trend is your favourite?
The bold use of colour in both soft and hard landscaping (plants and garden décor such as pots, statues, etc.) and linking the outdoor living areas with the house.

What has been the highlight of your career?
For a landscaping business in Botswana it was a great honour to be the only international participant and also receive a Gold Award at Garden World’s Spring Festival. Another highlight was having Garden and Home as a media partner.

What was your big break as a landscaper?
When the business attracted corporate and institutional clients.

What’s your indispensable tool/accessory/gadget?
My phone. I can do business on it efficiently. I can send emails, surf the internet, use it to get directions, do online transactions and use social media, music, etc.

What’s your dream project?
This would be to get involved in the design of public recreational areas which would appeal to all ages, especially the youth. The sort of project where I could be creative and go all out to create a magnificent and mind-blowing environment.