La Heredia's Staff
GARDENERS
Fco. Javier Recio Saldaña
Head Gardener
José María Lozano Ruiz
Gardener
Antonio Martín Córdoba
Gardener
Miguel Angel Recio Saldana
Gardener
The gardens of our community look so wonderful mostly because of the work and expertise of our four full time gardeners. There is a great deal of behind the scenes work that is done according to the seasons.
Composting is followed by planting, then water and irrigation. Cleaning and weeding are permanent features. Spraying, pruning and rubbish removal all follow. This background work takes around 65% of the gardening budget, and only 35% is for actual plants such as trees, shrubs and flowers.
Health and Safety regulations are strict in Spain and our gardeners are familiar and compliant with the regulations regarding the use and storage of insecticides and chemical cleaning liquids.
Our special thanks go to Jose-Maria whose special job it is to maintain and prune our 80 or so very tall palm trees, most of which are around 30 years old. He is trained and uses the latest professional equipment. If we had to use outside contractors this annual job would add more than 40% to our gardening budget.
From the smallest pot which is home to one flower to the highest palms -- all require different skills to be healthy and give us such pleasure.
OUR MAINTENANCE TEAM
Few urbanisations actually employ their own maintenance staff, but rely on outside contractors to carry out works. By having our own dedicated staff, urgent matters are dealt with immediately and routine maintenance is cost effective and ongoing.
The many beautiful open areas, such as plazas, courtyards, view points and fountains have been developed or reformed by our in house team. This is in addition to their routine work of maintaining our existing facilities and infrastructure.
Goodbye, Good Luck and Thank You
Juan Recio Macho, who is from a small town in the province of Seville, came on holiday in 1983 to visit his brother, who worked for Paco Parlade, the architect of La Heredia. The two men were introduced and Paco offered Juan a job as an assistant gardener. As La Heredia developed, so did the gardens with Juan eventually becoming the Head Gardener over a team of four.
It is a tribute to his knowledge and creativity that we have such wonderful gardens. A commemorative plaque has been dedicated to Juan in our principal plaza, La Plaza de los Jardineros. (The Plaza of the Gardeners)
