Garden Design: intelligent and ecological

THE INTELLIGENT GARDEN

By Beatrice Perlac

An intelligent garden is one that provides you with the greatest amount of pleasure combined with the lowest maintenance expense. It is a garden that works with nature rather than against, and it is fair to say that an Intelligent garden is an ecological garden. If a garden is designed with the appropriate ecological commitment and concept it will give you major savings in the long run. We are at a historic crossroads where we share major concerns about how the future will be and how we can navigate through these complicated times, with energy, product and labour costs all increasing by the day. We want to be ecological and nature-friendly but most of us need to be shown how. At Adarve Gardens, we are specialists in designing gardens for high-end properties. Working with an ecological premise does not mean you have to return to the Stone Age and give up all those amazing gadgets and fun features in your outdoor space. It is more about having a garden that looks amazing and is set up with the least energy requirements and human effort – which in most cases converts into economical savings. To obtain pleasure out of perfection means good design and a solid foundation for your garden.

Tips to Achieve an Intelligent Garden First of all, contract a reputed and experienced garden design company (such as Adarve) and outline your desires and requirements.

These are the key aspects you need to take into consideration when creating an intelligent garden: · Use a combination of plants that work together and have similar needs, and which thrive in the weather conditions or position they are placed. · Include mulch or coverage over the soil, and drop system irrigation to help your soil maintain its humidity (less irrigation) and assist small organisms to create their own ecosystems. · Don’t use chemical fertilisers, and instead aim to improve the soil composition with worm humus or organic material and sand. · Incorpórate solar powered lighting – there are stunning bollards in the market that create an incredible ambience. · Try to reduce your grass surface by using gravel or creating a beach of sand. · I would also suggest installing auto-mowers to cut the grass, as their system is not only silent but can also be solar powered (consumption is extremely low) and reduces labour needs.

Adarve Jardines y Paisajismo by Beatrice Perlac Camino Loma de Retamar 16B, Crta. Cancelada Marbella Country Club, Benahavís Tel. (+34) 652 426 851 beatrice@beatriceperlac.es www.beatriceperlac.es/en/adarve-gardens