900 m² garden with fish pond, white sand beach and orchard

The businessman from Rio de Janeiro was looking for a spacious property where his two student daughters could gather with friends, enjoy the outdoors and have more contact with nature, until he found this house in a gated community in Recreio dos Bandeirantes (west zone of Rio de Janeiro). Originally, the 900 m² outdoor area had a huge lawn without trees or plants, with an old swimming pool and a small gourmet area, which led the new owner to commission a complete landscaping project from the duo Ana Veras and Bernardo Vieira, partners in the company Beleza Pura Lagos e Jardins , which represents Gênesis Ecossistemas , in Rio de Janeiro. Since the living room of the house already had glass walls facing the outside area, the client wanted to have a lush, colorful and fragrant garden , and the feeling of being inside it, even indoors . In addition, he asked for a hammock to rest in contact with nature. The youngest daughter, who is 8 years old, asked for a small carp pond as a Christmas present, which ended up being expanded and became the most valued area of the house. The older sister asked for a sand court to play volleyball and footvolley , which are the family's favorite sports. In the end, the landscaping project was inspired by tropical gardens , full of low-maintenance native species, including an orchard, vegetable garden, hammock area, lawn, lake with white sand beach, pergola built from scratch, shower with deck, covered balcony and sand sports court .

“The main objective was to transform the house’s outdoor area into a private tropical oasis , not only for contemplation and relaxation but also for the family’s everyday use,” summarizes landscaper Ana Veras . The highlight of the project, the artificial lake was completed in about two weeks, using the most modern filtration systems. “We have mechanical, chemical, biological, UV, ozone and biovegetal filtration , where each element of the filter and the lake plays an important role in the balance of this small ecosystem, formed by natural rocks, river pebbles and special sand , and inhabited by ornamental and functional fish ”, explains Bernardo. “While the ‘ algae eaters ’ are responsible for controlling the algae on the rocks, the carp are responsible for decorating and stirring up the sand on the bottom. The guppies and the guppies swim on the surface,” adds the landscaper. Water lilies were used, which, in addition to beautifying the water with their leaves and flowers, also serve as shelter for the fish. On the banks, rotalas, purple yam, pontederia and xanadu make the transition to the nearby plants that are out of the water. The garden was designed to attract pollinators such as butterflies, dragonflies and birds, and prioritized plants that require low maintenance and shed few leaves so as not to impact the lake's filtration. Since the lake was designed so that residents could dive in, it was necessary to distribute aquatic plants and rocks appropriately and to size the filter well. With an average height of 6 m, the three foxtail palms that delimit the hammock area were chosen and planted equidistantly, already considering the function they would have in the external area. The three hammocks were made with PET bottle threads in a coral tone. The pergola and covered porch were decorated with furniture, ornaments, lighting and rugs made from natural materials (such as fiber, wood and cotton). “Since access to the backyard is limited, our biggest challenge in this project was to create a strategy to include the large palm trees in the hammock area, as well as the stones in the lake, which were carried by hand,” concludes landscaper Ana Veras.