Yard of the Week: An Idyllic, Plant-Filled Mediterranean Retreat
A landscape pro found on Houzz turns a neglected yard into a naturalistic space for swimming, gardening and relaxing
The landscape of this villa in El Escorial, Madrid, was extremely neglected. The owners turned to Houzz for help, found landscape architect Fernando Nájera of Aleza Nájera Paisajistas and hired him to redesign their space.
One year later, the yard is radically different and is exactly what the owners were looking for. The lush, well-tended landscape features a variety of areas designed for different uses. Paths wind through the space and invite one to enjoy the yard, pick fruit from the trees, sit down for a drink or swim in the pool.
One year later, the yard is radically different and is exactly what the owners were looking for. The lush, well-tended landscape features a variety of areas designed for different uses. Paths wind through the space and invite one to enjoy the yard, pick fruit from the trees, sit down for a drink or swim in the pool.
The owners wanted to enjoy their yard year-round. They asked Nájera to include a pool with a small grassy area, a generous space for growing vegetables and other edible plants, a couple of alfresco dining areas and a quieter place for reading or working. He also needed to connect these spaces with a beautiful yet logical flow, avoiding major changes in elevation but clearly marking the transition from one area to another.
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Shop for outdoor furniture on Houzz
Nájera’s new landscape design surrounds and enhances the home. It has many areas, “but it doesn’t give the impression of being fragmented,” he says. “It’s a very lively and useful space for its owners.”
How to Get Started on a Landscape Redesign
How to Get Started on a Landscape Redesign
Before: Nájera says that the new design has transformed the house as well as the landscape. “Before, this [landscape] was practically abandoned, and detracted from the beauty of the house,” he says. Most of the work took about a month, with additional projects being completed later.
After: The owners enjoy the pool area in particular (designed by Nájera and built by another company). It’s located conveniently off the home’s back porch and is surrounded by a transitional garden.
When planning a landscape, it is essential to define how it is going to be used in order to organize the spaces and achieve fluid transitions.
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“The larger a [yard] is, the more difficult it is to harmonize the empty spaces with the planted ones as well as the relationship between footpaths and nontraffic areas,” Nájera says.
Additionally, all aspects of a large landscape — including plant selection, irrigation needs and maintenance — need to be meticulously thought out. “All are factors to be taken into account when planning a [landscape] of this size,” he says.
Additionally, all aspects of a large landscape — including plant selection, irrigation needs and maintenance — need to be meticulously thought out. “All are factors to be taken into account when planning a [landscape] of this size,” he says.
The owners love the redesigned outdoor space, especially the vegetable garden. The four large raised beds seen here produce a harvest almost year-round.
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
What to Know About Adding or Renovating an Edible Garden
Another area the homeowners enjoy is this naturalistic garden next to the lawn. The lengthy plant list includes aromatics such as lavender (Lavandula sp.) and sage (Salvia sp.); voluminous species of coast rosemary (Westringia sp.), New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.) and germander (Teucrium sp.); and colorful Stachys, gaura (Gaura sp.) and red-hot poker (Kniphofia sp.). Red-hot poker is a bulbous plant known for its bright colors and rocket shape.
Before and After: 3 Barren Yards Become Lush, Inviting Retreats
Before and After: 3 Barren Yards Become Lush, Inviting Retreats
In addition to providing pleasant aromas, color and volume, the grasses and other plants used have low watering and maintenance needs. The owners handle most of the smaller maintenance tasks, while a gardening company weeds, prunes the ivy and mows the lawn.
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New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
“It’s feasible to take care of about 50% of the maintenance for such a [landscape] by dedicating at least a couple of full days a month,” Nájera says. “The owners could maintain it themselves, but this is not the usual case.”
The designer paid careful attention to water usage. “The section of the garden that contains aromatics and shrubs needs very little water,” he says. “Even the vegetable garden doesn’t need much water. It is a sustainable garden, and even this year we estimate using much less water, given that the plants already have deep roots.”
15 Ways to Create a Beautiful Water-Wise Landscape
15 Ways to Create a Beautiful Water-Wise Landscape
The fruit orchard is pictured here. Only the lawns — a small one in the front yard and another around the swimming pool — need a little more water than the other areas. Nájera chose the grass variety to help reduce water use.
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“Whether for a large or small landscape, it’s vital to think about sustainability,” Nájera says “However, ‘sustainability’ is a much-overused word.” For him, “watering just enough is sustainability, but so is not overusing waterproof paving. [Sustainability] is promoting tree groves, whereas abusing synthetic materials is not.” You can see on the plan here how he strategically placed trees throughout the design.
“It is essential to choose the plant species in accordance with the natural climate of the location and to use locally sourced materials,” he adds. “In other words, water consumption is an important factor, but not the only one to be taken into account.”
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“It is essential to choose the plant species in accordance with the natural climate of the location and to use locally sourced materials,” he adds. “In other words, water consumption is an important factor, but not the only one to be taken into account.”
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Find a landscape architect or designer
Shop for your outdoor space
Who lives here: A couple who wanted to enjoy the landscape year-round with their children
Location: Madrid
Size: About one-third of an acre (1,200 square meters)
Landscape designer: Aleza Nájera Paisajistas
After the owners found and hired Nájera on Houzz, he used Houzz Pro software to manage the project. He says it helped him keep track of customer requests, registrations and calls.
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