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Journal
Notes from the nursery.
What we have learnt building gardens in Goa — written for the people who have to live with them afterwards, whether that is a resort, a villa or a back courtyard.
What actually survives a Goan monsoon
Four months of rain, then eight of heat and salt. Why gardens in Goa fail in October rather than in June, and what to plant so yours does not.
22 Sept 2026
Moving a mature tree instead of losing it
On the Noah site we lifted established trees and put them back rather than clearing them. What that takes, what it costs you in time, and when it will not work.
20 Sept 2026
A lily pond is a system, not a feature
Water is the thing guests photograph and the thing that goes wrong first. What a pond in Goa needs to stay clear, and what we build in to keep it there.
18 Sept 2026
Planting a venue that only opens after dark
A beach bar or nightclub garden is seen almost entirely under artificial light. That changes the plant list, the layout and where the money goes.
16 Sept 2026
What a hotel garden costs to keep
The planting bill is the small number. What decides the running cost of resort grounds is the design, and most of it is fixed before anything is planted.
14 Sept 2026
Planting against a laterite wall
Goa's red stone walls are everywhere and they are hard on plants — hot, dry at the base and fast-draining. What we plant against them, and how the beds are built.
12 Sept 2026
What actually makes a garden a Bali garden
It is not a plant list. It is layering, enclosure, stone and water used together — and it happens to suit Goa better than most imported styles do.
10 Sept 2026