Untamed greenery

It not your average run-of-the-mill manicured garden. Mona Hauser calls her garden a jungle with paths.

Indeed, the lush and informal garden is full of tall trees and shrubs — many of which are indigenous or regionally adapted.

Mona has purposely kept it as natural in appearance as possible.

With no grass to mow and no hedges to clip, the garden demands little maintenance, even though it is a fairly large-sized garden.

“This is a sort of a secret garden style that does without a vast lawn and hedges to reduce upkeep. I believe that a garden should be there to enjoy, not just to maintain,'' Mona says.

Shielded by palms

Several palms stand tall around the compound wall and their imposing presence shields the villa from the outside world.

With their large crowns of fan-shaped fronds, the tall desert fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) provide towering accents near the entrance, whereas several coconut palms (Cocos nucifera), with their gently waving fronds, provide cool shade along the pathways.

These tall palms impart a lush, tropical look to the garden.

It is a mature garden with an impressive collection of trees, shrubs and ground covers.

So many different plants could make for a haphazard jumble, but even though they have been given a free rein to spill over onto the paths or climb the walls, the plants emulate nature without being disorderly.

Tying them all together takes an eye for composition and Mona — owner of an art gallery in Dubai — has it.

Mona has chosen her plant palette carefully to suit the local conditions because she believes in the adage, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do''.

Except for the trees — including the coconut and fan palms that were already well-established in the landscape when she moved into the villa — all other trees, shrubs and ground covers have been picked for their capacity to endure the
hot, dry, sandy and salty conditions.

Most of these drought-tolerant plants require little maintenance, but more importantly, they conserve water and do not burden the groundwater resource.

Conserving techniques

Besides, the landscape uses the automatic drip irrigation system, which delivers water straight to the root zone of the individual plants at low pressure, thereby saving it.

“Having a landscape that conserves water is important to me and even my gardener Roshan is conservative in this respect,'' Mona says.

The yard on the right side of the entrance is an unpaved, bare patch of soil which is surrounded by lush borders featuring butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea) and snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata).

The area includes a quaint hut-shaped water feature under a jujube tree (Ziziphus spina-christi). Foliage is the mainstay of this perennial garden, which includes a few flowering plants.

The sunlit side-yard features a broad paved pathway flanked on either side with borders containing spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis), Copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana), devil's backbone (Pedilanthus tithymaloides) and crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii).

Tall shrubs such as yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana), coconut palms (Cocos nucifera), the Indian curry leaf tree (Murraya koenigii) have been placed towards the rear to serve as a backdrop.

The area also features a grape arbour and climbers such as Rangoon creeper (Quisqualis indica) and Tristellateia.

The garden's main triumph is the way in which its abundant greenery has been balanced by paved walkways, patio areas and a gazebo, which are water- saving alternatives to turf, requiring little maintenance.

Besides, well-laid paths allow you to explore the garden without trampling any plants.

The backyard enjoys a sunny position and most of the area is paved. A large Manila tamarind tree standing in one corner provides ample shade.

A group of large terracotta pots planted with a variety of cacti provide decorative accent, but the focal point that captures your attention as soon as you enter the area is an elevated, latticed gazebo.

Sanctuary for animals

Mona likes being surrounded by animals and plants. Her garden is home for her two dogs, Luna and Lulu, two turtles, a rare owl, a macaw and an iguana, besides being a sanctuary for the local birds and butterflies.

At the end of a long working day, she looks forward to returning home and viewing her garden from her window.

“I often enjoy watching a tiny bird, which always builds an intricate basket-style nest in our grape arbour that I can see through the window. Being with nature is important to me and my garden fulfils that need,'' Mona says.

Chandana Roy is a UAE-based gardening enthusiast

Plants for warm climate

Gardens with regionally adapted plants conserve water and require less maintenance.

The following are some of the plants with modest water requirements growing in Mona Hauser's garden that do extremely well in our warm climate:

Trees

Frangipani (Plumeria alba)
This highly popular garden tree is cherished for its clusters of creamy white flowers with deep yellow centres, which emit a distinct heady perfume.

Easily propagated through cuttings, the tree is fairly drought and salt tolerant and will grow quickly in full sun on a variety of well-drained soils.

Desert fan palm (Washingtonia filifera)
This tall palm with massive fan-shaped leaves likes heat and full sun and once established has modest water requirements.

Sidr, ber or jujube tree (Ziziphus spina-christi)
This indigenous fruit-bearing, spiny tree produces sweet ovoid fruits that attract hordes of mynah, bulbuls, doves and francolins.

Manila tamarind (Pithecellobium dulce)
This drought-tolerant, shade tree produces pods with edible pulp favoured by birds.

Shrubs

Desert rose (Adenium obesum)
An easy-to-grow succulent shrub with fleshy leaves and pink trumpet-shaped flowers, Desert rose thrives when there is plenty of sunlight and little water.

Yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana)
A bushy shrub bearing yellow flowers, this hardy shrub is excellent as a screen plant.

Every part of this large shrub is poisonous and should be kept out of reach of children and animals.

China rose or shoe-flower (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
This shrub produces showy red, orange, yellow or white blossoms throughout the year.

A popular hedge plant that also does well when grown in containers. It needs full sun, regular watering and plenty of fertiliser and compost.

The plant is, however, susceptible to aphids.

Lantana (Lantana camara)
This strongly aromatic, drought-tolerant perennial can be relied to produce a steady supply of bright clusters of tiny orange, pink and yellow flowers throughout the summer.

The tiny, aromatic flowers of lantana are rich in nectar and attract butterflies and birds.

Extremely drought and salt tolerant, lantana requires modest amounts of water once established.

The soil must remain well-drained — too much water and fertiliser will reduce flowering.

Copperleaf (Acalypha wilkesiana)
This large, fast-growing evergreen shrub provides a continuous splash of colour in mixed borders.

The variegated leaves display a range of colours including copper red, green, purple, yellow or cream.

Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii)
This thorny cactus with well-developed leaves produces red, orange or pink blooms in the hottest months of the year with minimal care.

Purple false eranthemum (Pseuderanthemum atropurpureum)
This small shrub with variegated magenta-purple leaves works well in borders as a foliage accent plant. It requires full sun to partial shade for best leaf colour.

Screw pine (Pandanus veitchii)
This striking much-branched shrub with spirally arranged sword-like leaves is a versatile marginal plant with high salt tolerance.

It can withstand exposure to strong sun and wind and thrives in coastal conditions.

Climbers

Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea)
This delightful, fast-growing climber bearing masses of rich green foliage and brilliant blue flowers brings a welcome touch of cool colours in your summer garden.

Rangoon creeper (Quisqualis indica)
This attractive woody climber with hanging clusters of brilliant pink and white blossoms puts up a magnificent display throughout summer and fills the yard with a sweet scent at night.

Tristellateia australis
An attractive woody climber with lush foliage and tiny, star shaped yellow flowers.

Ground covers

Spider lily (Hymenocallis littoralis)
This vigorous bulbous perennial is an ideal ground cover in our warm climate.

With its long, strap-like lush leaves and clusters of wispy white scented flowers, spider lily makes an eye-catching ground cover when planted in mass.

Devil's backbone or zigzag plant (Pedilanthus tithymaloides)
It is an easy to grow leafy succulent that thrives in full sun to provide year-round greenery.

Another cultivar of the same plant has variegated light green leaves with cream-coloured spots.

Mother-in-law's tongue or snake plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)
This evergreen, versatile succulent has distinctive sword-like leaves with green and grey cross bands.

It thrives indoors as well as outdoors with little maintenance. It removes impurities from the air and is considered as one of the best plants for improving air quality.