Landscaping for villa gardens in Abu Dhabi

A good villa garden is planned from the ground up. First come levels and drainage, so water from irrigation and the occasional storm runs away from the house. Then the services that disappear once the garden is finished: irrigation lines, cable ducts for lighting and power, and pipework for a pool or water feature. Only then the visible layer of paving, walls, planters, lawn and planting. In Abu Dhabi, where many plots are large and gardens wrap around the villa on several sides, getting these layers in the right order is what separates a garden that lasts from one that has to be dug up again. As a landscaping company that also builds pools, pergolas and outdoor kitchens, we plan all of it as one project.

Work inside the plot and work outside it are treated differently. According to TAMM, the Abu Dhabi government services platform, planting and landscaping on spaces outside the boundaries of residential plots needs a permit from the Department of Municipalities and Transport, following its Off-Plot Works Manual. The Department has also announced a simplified permit route for minor works on villas, which it says covers items such as swimming pools, canopies and shaded structures, and fences. Your community or developer may have its own rules as well. We confirm what applies to your garden and apply for the approvals ourselves.

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Project Casa Colonia

The Villa, Dubai · Approx. 600 sqm · Q3 FY26 to Q4 FY26

A backyard turned into a resort-style garden with pergola zones, ambient landscape lighting, water features and outdoor automation.

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Project Murano

Al Furjan, Jebel Ali · 210 sqm · April 2024 - May 2024

Stepping stones, a planter wall with a floating bench and underlights, and a BBQ countertop with cabinets in Al Furjan.

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Project Jewel

The Villa, Dubai · 750 sqm · February 2020 - July 2020

Landscaping, covered parking and a skimmer pool in a villa in The Villa community.

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Parts of the coast and the islands sit on sabkha or reclaimed ground, where the soil holds salt and the water table can be close to the surface, while plots further inland are usually drier sand. We check which one you have on the site visit, because it changes what goes under the garden.

• Salt in the groundSalt crust and salt-laden moisture attack mortar, steel and some stones from below. Paving on salt-affected ground needs a drained sub-base and a separating layer, and garden walls need a damp-proof course so salt does not climb through the render.
• A high water tableWhere groundwater is close to the surface, sunken seating, fire pits and planting pits need positive drainage, and sometimes a raised design works better than a dug one.
• Dry inland sandAway from the coast the ground drains fast and holds little water or nutrient. Planting beds are dug out and filled with a prepared soil mix, and the irrigation is zoned so trees, shrubs and lawn are watered separately.
• Where the water goesIrrigation run-off and the occasional downpour need an outlet. We set falls across paving away from the villa and lead water to planted areas, a soakaway or an existing drain, and keep finished levels below the villa's damp-proof line.

OutMazed Design runs Abu Dhabi gardens from its office in SIT Tower, Dubai Silicon Oasis.

• A free site visit in Abu DhabiOur designer comes to the villa, measures the plot and records levels, sun, wind, existing trees, the condition of the boundary walls and where water and power can be taken from.
• One design, agreed in 3DThe whole garden, including any pool, pergola or outdoor kitchen, is modelled in 3D so you can walk through it by day and with the lighting on before anything is ordered.
• Approvals applied for by usWe confirm what the municipality's published requirements and your community's rules ask for, and submit the applications ourselves.
• Made in our workshop, delivered to sitePergola elements, outdoor kitchen cabinets, bar counters and bench seating are made in our in-house workshop in Dubai and brought to your villa, where one project manager coordinates the site team and is your contact to handover.
• What to have readyYour plot or site plan, any community guidelines or NOC form, photos of the garden, and a note of where drains, irrigation and power are now.