SUSTAINABLE GARDENING

A sustainable garden is one adapted to the local natural environment. A sustainable garden on Menorca takes into account the local climate, geography and physical conditions such as temperature, soil, exposure to wind and proximity to the sea. The aim is to use plants that are already adapted to the local conditions, which need little water and are resistant to pests and diseases.

Es Viver

Es Viver garden centre is a hidden gem, tucked away next to the recyling centre, on the airport road. It is a non-profit-making initiative run by GOB to promote gardens which do not cause problems for the environment and which are easy to maintain. Es Viver promotes Mediterranean gardening without invasive species, and without polluting chemicals. I have lived in Menorca for 20 years, but I was unaware of its existence. Perhaps because they are not permitted to put up a large sign on the main road!

You can buy a wide variety of plants, produced on site, with an ecological certificate. The plants are grown in the centre’s own nursery from seeds and seedlings collected from all over Menorca. For example, capers, lavender, and rock roses. English-speaking staff and volunteers work at the centre each morning, providing visitors with help and advice about the best plants to buy for their own garden. When I visited, Sofia from Bulgaria and Belen, from Valencia were working there as volunteers on a special GOB programme for 18-30 year olds. Toful, the centre’s manager and botanist and Tatania, a trained gardener, both made me very welcome during my visits.

When I first visited in mid-April the nursery was full of seedlings. Menorca and mainland Spain then experienced a worrying heatwave when temperature rose to as much as 5 deg C above the norm. When the temperatures inside the poly tunnel became too warm, the seedlings had to be moved outside.

Garden Design Service

Es Viver’s trained gardeners and botanists will visit your garden to help you make it more sustainable or to redesign it into new attractive and functional spaces. They can help you make use of materials such as earth, stones, and wood from the garden itself or from nearby areas. The aim is to avoid the economic and environmental costs of bringing products from far afield.

Native plants make it possible to create very pleasant spaces, with low maintenance. This is in direct contrast with gardens based on non-Mediterranean exotic plants which create significant problems such as danger of introducing invasive plants, danger of spreading new pests and diseases, high water consumption or higher maintenance costs.

At the centre you can find wild plants and those traditionally used in gardens and orchards in Menorca. When local varieties are not available, orchard trees for example, then suitable species are introduced from Mallorca or similar Mediterranean climates.

• Non-invasive wild plants from Menorca or the Mediterranean

• Aromatic and culinary plants.

• Plants resistant to proximity to the sea.

• Fruit trees of local varieties from Menorca.

• Organic garden planters of local varieties.

• Ancient flowers from Menorca for patios and porches.

• Aquatic plants for water purification systems (green filters).

• Plants to be used for reforestation.

• Soil for making seedlings and pots, with an ecological certificate.

CONSTRUCTION OF GREEN FILTERS, TO PURIFY WASTE WATER

If your house in Menorca is located in a rural area without access to the waste water network, you might want to consider building a green filter. This allows you to purify and re/use your water in a closed loop, saving this very precious resource. In addition, it will bring new air to your garden by incorporating an area of aquatic plants and wetlands, creating a pleasant and fresh space for the local fauna and flora. So far, GOB has helped more than 25 properties install these filters in their garden. There is a working green filter at the Centre powered by a solar panel.

Contact Details 0034 650 350 172 esviver@gobmenorca.com

Open to the public from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Located on the airport road, at the entrance to the rubbish recycling centre. There is no big sign advertising the Garden centre due to local regulations, so look out for it on the right as you leave the main road.