Landscape design
We design the garden together with the house, or for a house that already exists.
A landscape project covers the planting plan, shade, outdoor rooms, grading and drainage, irrigation and exterior lighting. The mix of native and adapted species depends on how much water the lot has and how much maintenance the owner wants.
Near nesting beaches, exterior lighting is part of the design: shielded, downward-facing fittings and red light where SINAC requires it. More on the landscape design service.
Landscape construction
Our own team builds what we design, so the planting and the systems under it are installed as drawn.
Planting
Soil preparation and planting of trees, palms, shrubs and ground cover.
Irrigation
Drip and sprinkler systems zoned by water need, with controllers set for the season.
Exterior lighting
Warm, shielded fittings for paths, trees and terraces.
Paths
Stepping stones, gravel and river stone borders.
Decks
Timber decks around pools and outdoor rooms.
Natural and planted pools
Pools framed by planting, and natural pools where the site allows it.
Garden maintenance, all year
A recurring service with scheduled visits, planned around the rainy and the dry season.
Scheduled visits
A fixed calendar agreed after the evaluation visit.
Pruning
Shaping and thinning to keep shade, views and healthy growth.
Fertilisation
Feeding matched to each species and to the season.
Pest control
Early detection and treatment before damage spreads.
Irrigation checks
Leaks, emitters and controller schedules reviewed on every visit.
Native and adapted plants
Replacements chosen from species that tolerate the dry forest climate.
For owners who live here or spend part of the year away.
Gardens kept ready between guests.
Common areas and individual lots under one plan.
Why native plants and low water use
Native dry forest species are adapted to months of heavy rain followed by months with almost none. Once established they need little irrigation, and they recover by themselves when the rains return.
Water is scarce on this coast, and several ASADAs in Guanacaste have stopped giving new connections. A garden that needs less water in the dry season costs less to run and is easier to keep.
Native planting also brings the fauna of the area back into the garden. We use adapted species where a garden needs colour or density, usually close to the house and the pool. More in planning the garden with the house.
Gardens we designed and built
Areas we cover
From our studio in Huacas we work along the Guanacaste coast. The area pages describe the conditions of each one.
Questions about garden maintenance
Request an evaluation visit
Tell us where the property is and what the garden needs. We visit, review the planting and the irrigation, and propose a design, the works or a maintenance plan.