Prado de la Bodega

Every landscape project begins long before a plant is chosen. It begins by walking the site, reading its orientation, watching the shade move and understanding how the house relates to the outdoors. At Prado de la Bodega, that first reading revealed something essential: the open space was not an emptiness waiting to be filled, but one of the place’s greatest qualities.

Naturalistic planting is not an attempt to copy an idealised nature. It creates convincing plant communities, adapted to the site’s real conditions and able to express movement, texture and variation. In this sustainable garden in Pozuelo de Alarcón, the planting combines permanence and change: species that hold the space throughout the year and others that come forward for a particular season.

Species are selected for sun, soil, available water, mature size and future care. Native plants and those well adapted to Madrid’s Mediterranean climate reduce demands without diminishing the experience of the garden. Flowers, seed heads, dry stems and winter shade provide interest in different seasons.

A low-maintenance garden does not come from doing less afterwards, but from deciding better at the beginning. Understanding the soil, choosing compatible species and grouping plants with similar needs makes irrigation more precise and avoids constant correction. In Madrid, where water is increasingly valuable, its use belongs within the design rather than being addressed at the end.

Access for future work, the growth of planted areas and the effect of each intervention are considered from the outset. Maintenance supports the garden as it develops, rather than trying to keep it looking exactly as it did on the first day. When we do not continue into this phase, the project can include a care guide describing the rhythms of pruning, irrigation and observation needed to preserve the garden’s intention.

Investing in garden design means making key decisions before construction starts. A thoughtful project reduces improvisation, avoids unsuitable species and makes contractors’ proposals easier to compare. Prado de la Bodega reflects this way of understanding landscape design in Madrid: a welcoming outdoor space that responds to the climate, gathers depth with time and leaves room for something unexpected to appear.