Gardeners in Marbella
We cover East Marbella, and we say so before you ask
From Cabopino to Las Chapas: villas, plots and gardens among the pines. Written quote within 24 hours.
- East side: Cabopino, Artola, Elviria, Las Chapas and Marbesa
- Plots with pines: trees, clearance and processionary caterpillars
- Green waste removal always included
Your garden in Marbella
Tell us what you need and we’ll give you a price within 24 hours.
Let’s be clear
We don’t cover all of Marbella, and we’d rather say so
We set out from Mijas. As far as Las Chapas, we arrive with the whole day ahead of us; west of there (the centre, Banús, San Pedro) the drive eats up the hours, and we’d end up arriving late, in a hurry and charging you for the journey.
Almost every gardening website says it covers the whole province. You already know how that ends: the gardener who turns up at six in the evening because he was coming from the other end, and does in an hour and a half what should have taken three.
If your garden is further west, tell us anyway. For a large one-off job (a tree felling, a plot clearance, a renovation) the journey does pay off, and we’ll consider it. For maintenance every fortnight, we’d be doing you no favours.
What you need to know
Pines and sand: two things you only get here
The strip from Cabopino to Elviria has soil and vegetation unlike anything else on the coast, and that changes both the irrigation and the maintenance.
Living in a pine wood
It’s what makes the area beautiful, and also what needs watching. The pine processionary caterpillar comes down from the tree earlier than inland, and its stinging hairs are a serious problem with children or dogs: you have to get ahead of it, not react. That’s why the processionary nest comes off in autumn, not when the caterpillars come down. And the pine needles and dry brushwood that build up are fuel right up against the house: that’s dealt with by cleaning and clearance, and it’s one of the first things we look at.
Pines are also pruned differently: in the cool season and without topping, because they don’t resprout from old wood. How and when each tree is pruned is covered in tree pruning.
Soil that doesn’t hold water
Near the coast the soil is very sandy and the water runs through it before the roots can use it. It’s the classic complaint: “I water a lot and they just don’t grow.” Watering more doesn’t fix it, it only wastes water. What works is improving the soil and mulching so it holds the water and doesn’t lose it to evaporation, and choosing species that already come from similar soils.
Where we work
East Marbella, urbanisation by urbanisation
Cabopino and Artola
Sandy soil, close to the dunes and with pine woods all around. Irrigation has to be approached differently because the water drains away, and it pays to look after the soil rather than keep adding more water.
Elviria
Villas with plots and lots of pines. Here the big job is the trees: inspection, safety pruning and keeping watch for the processionary caterpillar in its season.
Las Chapas
A mix of established urbanisations and individual villas. Mature gardens where what’s often needed is a renovation in stages, not starting from scratch.
Marbesa and around
Medium-sized plots, many with foreign owners who are away for part of the year. Scheduled maintenance makes a particular difference here: the plot is presentable on the day you arrive.
Common questions
Questions about Marbella
Do you go to central Marbella, Puerto Banús or San Pedro?
Not as a rule. We work the eastern side, from Cabopino to Las Chapas, because that’s as far as we can go with enough margin to do things properly. Further west the drive eats up the day and we’d end up arriving late and in a hurry, which is exactly what we don’t want. If your garden is in that part, tell us anyway: if it’s a large one-off job, we’ll consider it.
I have pine trees on my plot. What should I keep an eye on?
Two things. The pine processionary caterpillar, which here comes down from the tree earlier than inland, sometimes in the middle of winter, and is a serious problem if there are children or dogs: the stinging hairs cause severe reactions, and the nests are removed in autumn, before the caterpillars come down. You have to get ahead of it. And the build-up of pine needles and dry brushwood, which on a plot with pines is fuel. The second is dealt with by clearance and cleaning; the first, by keeping an eye on the tree in good time.
Do you prune pine trees? When is the right time?
Yes. A pine on a plot is pruned for three things: to keep it clear of the house and the roof, to remove the dead wood, and to lift the lower branches so that a fire on the ground has no ladder up to the crown. What isn’t done is topping it: a pine doesn’t resprout from old wood, and whatever is cut badly stays that way. The time is the cool season, from autumn to the end of winter, away from the heat. And the cuttings are always taken away, because freshly cut pine wood left on the plot draws wood borers.
The water drains away straight away and my plants don’t thrive. Is that normal?
In the Cabopino and Artola strip, fairly normal. The soil is very sandy and drains so fast that the water runs straight through before the roots can use it. Watering more doesn’t fix it: what works is improving the soil with organic matter so it holds water, putting down mulch to slow evaporation, and choosing species that already come from soils like this.
Will you look after a whole villa, with irrigation, pool and trees?
Yes, and it’s the kind of work that suits this area best. It’s set up as an annual plan with fixed visits, and quoted item by item so you know what each part includes. On a large plot, what makes the difference isn’t the cutting: it’s having the irrigation properly sorted and the trees checked before they cause problems.
Advice from your local gardener
October in Marbella
The best time of year to plant
Here you plant in autumn, not spring. The soil is still warm from the summer but the air no longer punishes, so the plant puts down roots all through the winter and reaches the next summer with its root system in place. Whatever goes in in May spends its first August suffering.
It’s also when the rain does part of the work: after the first storms you can cut the watering back a lot, but don’t switch it off altogether. A dry October is perfectly possible in Marbella, and a newly planted hedge won’t forgive a week without water.
And before the cold sets in, check the drippers one by one. After a summer working flat out there’s always one blocked with lime. You won’t notice it in winter… until June.
Shall we talk about your garden in Marbella?
Tell us where it is and we’ll tell you straight away whether we can look after it properly. Call us or send us a few photos; we’ll deal with you in English.