landscaping and garden maintenance in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var

  06 25 22 88 69

Dry gardens

Cultivation methods

Planting

We plant suitable ground layers for small areas and those with moderate footfall. For larger areas we use minerals such as gravel, pebbles and flagging punctuated by perennials and small shrubs, or meadowland.

- The root mat should be broken up when planting
- The soil should always be dug over, which we use as an opportunity to add soil enrichment products
- Planting holes should be three times the size of the root ball
- The bottom of the planting hole is drained to allow the roots to push down into the ground
- We prefer to plant in the autumn, to make the most of the rainy season and allow the plant to establish itself before the summer
- When planting in flowerbeds: plants should have the same requirements
- We don’t persist with plants which are not growing well
- We add natural phosphorous in the planting hole to help the roots to take hold

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Saving water

- We aim to create a rather dense layer of vegetation, adding large trees and bushes to create shade
- We plant hedges to enclose the area and provide shelter from the wind
- Plants are grouped based on their water requirements
- We plant the thirstiest plants near to the house, while the least thirsty plants can be placed further away
- We steer clear of sprinkler systems
- After planting is complete, we create large watering basins to hold 10-30 litres of water, depending on the size of the plant. We hoe the area during the first year.
- We recommend mulching or covering of plants. We plant suitable ground layers for small areas and those with moderate footfall. For larger areas we install minerals such as gravel, pebbles and flagging punctuated by perennials and small shrubs, or meadowland.

Advantages:

Keeps beds cool, restricts evapotranspiration from the soil, prevents weeds without using chemicals.

Different types of mulch / coverings

- Cereal mulch (provides soil nutrients as it breaks down)
- Flax straw mulch (7-8 cm thick)
- Poplar mulch (6 cm thick)
- Grass cuttings
- Mineral layers (differing grain size, 10-12 cm thick)
- Cocoa pods (5 cm thick)
- Black plastic membrane (temporary)
- Wood chip mulch (20 cm thick)
- Planting of vegetation layers (to limit weeding) and evergreen shrubs
- For difficult grasses (couch-grass): Plastic membrane and wood chip mulch

Mulch/cover should be installed before the winter or summer periods

To summarise: Use organic mulch for fast-growing plants, or mineral mulch for small or covering plants.

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Choosing plants

Our methods

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Terre de Provence logo

1514 Avenue de la Plaine, 06250 Mougins

Eric Lerda 06 25 22 88 69
Frédéric Valente 06 77 25 74 67
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