Gardens & Pools

For a city on the edge of the desert, Dubai boasts a surprising amount of lush greenery – but, with very little annual rainfall and rapidly diminishing groundwater, plenty of artificial hydration is required if you want to create your very own garden oasis. Gardens need watering twice a day ideally – as green can turn to brown within just a matter of days.

GARDENS & WELLS
You can install a timed irrigation system or employ the services of a gardener, while boring a well in your garden to access natural water supplies is also an option; though check with Dubai Municipality to see if you require prior permission in your area. For houses further in from the coast, you’ll need to drill down approximately 25 metres before you hit groundwater, whereas houses in areas nearer to the coast, will access water after just a couple of metres.

The level of salt in the water can vary considerably, and it is possible to pump the water into a mixed tank to desalinate it for your domestic use. The cost for drilling and finding should start from approximately Dhs.1,800 if you secure the expertise of any of the landscaping companies found in the Plant Street area of Satwa.

Alternatively, opt for astroturf – all you need to do is hose it down every few weeks. You can buy astroturf in ACE Hardware (800 275 223), from Green People (greenpeopleme.com), and at many shops in Dragon Mart. Clearview (clearview.ae) will also install fake lawns. Another option is to go for block paving or decking. You can purchase various qualities of decking in ACE Hardware.

LANDSCAPING
To buy pot plants, trees and shrubs head to the Dubai Municipality Nursery in the Jadaf area, next to Business Bay Crossing. Prices are reasonable and discounts based on quantity will be given. Dubai Garden Centre (04 340 0006) sells pretty much everything you could ever need for your outdoor space; prices here are often at the higher end of the spectrum, but you can expect excellent service and expertise, as well as delivery for large orders. Plant Street in Satwa has a number of basic nurseries, but choice here can be limited. 
 
Larger retailers such as Spinneys, Carrefour and IKEA sell plants, pots and smaller sized gardening implements, while ACE Hardware is a one-stop-shop for the outdoor enthusiast, selling everything from flora to furniture, tools to trees and plants to pergolas.
 
If you are buying a brand new house, the developers may have left you with no more than a sandpit plot, so you will need to start your garden from scratch, which can be somewhat challenging. Equally, landlords are not obliged to landscape the gardens of new villas before they rent them to you, so don’t assume that the ‘work in progress’ you see upon viewing a property will be an outdoor oasis by the time you move in. 
 
If the green-fingered DIY is not for you, Dubai Garden Centre offers a full landscaping service, while Royal Gardenscape (royalgardenscape.com) provides all you need in the way of paving and gravel. Plant Street is a great place to start for cheap labour and materials, while Terraverde (terraverde.ae), Toscana Landscaping & Pools (toscanalandscaping.com) and Bespoke Concept (bespokeconcept.com) all offer full service design and installation for gardens. For more information on garden furniture see Shopping.

SWIMMING POOLS
A lot of properties in Dubai have private pools or access to a shared pool. If you don’t have one in your villa, you can always pay to have one installed – but it doesn’t come cheap. One option is to have a custom-made, free-form fibre glass and ceramic tiled pool fitted. As tough and durable as a concrete version, these are effectively portable. Delivery takes around four weeks, with an onsite installation period of approximately 10 days. Prices for such a pool start at around Dhs.110,000 including labour, pumps and filtration. Try Pools by Design (poolsdesign.net).
 
Aside from cleaning, your pool will also need the water to be changed and chemical levels balanced on a regular basis. MAK Pools (makpools.com) offers a full range of swimming pool cleaning and maintenance services. Those Pool Guys (thosepoolguys.com), Al Wasel Swimming Pools Maintenance (alwaselswimmingpools.com) and Pools r Us (poolsrusdubai.com) are also well established in Dubai. 
 
If you have a young family, then take a look at Aqua-Net (aquanet.ae), which creates custom safety netting that quickly and easily covers your pool.

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