What type of plants would be ideal for 7,000 sq ft home garden in Dubai? Why?

In Dubai (and for that matter, most of the Arabian peninsula), grass is a luxury. Infact, growing plants is not as easy as in some other parts of the world.  The weather is harsh for a good6-7 months ~ The area is covered with predominantly with shifting sands. Hence the soil is not really suitable for grass and a lot of effort has to be made to make it possible for the grass to find nutrition from the soil, strength, support and some shelter from the summer heat.

Having  a balcony garden comes with its own advantages.  A large variety of plants manage to grow in shelter. Money-plants creeping on a trellis, potted plants which can be protected from the scorching sun ~ and a single corner or edge to water, makes balcony gardens ideal.

If your a newbie trying to activate your green thumb, I suggest a quick visit to Dubai Garden Center would be a good idea, for some sound advice and a large variety of plant collection ~ however you could also visit Al Warsaan Nurseries area ( located on the Dubai-Hatta road ) for more competitive rates.

There are two types of grasses “planted” in Dubai :-

1) The carpet system. Where rolls and rolls of grass are got and planted on a mixture of compost and soil. It is rather expensive but the results are more quick and it sustains well.

2) Plug in : The second way is where, small patches of grass are plugged into a large and thick layer of compost.  Over a period of  – days the small patches of grass spread across and fill the area like a carpet.

There are various types/qualities of grasses too like the American and sharji grass ~ but don’t get too overwhelmed by these names, sharji grass is equally good ~ it all boils down to how well you look after the grass.

I would suggest for the boundary fence, planting a shrub such as Carissa macrocarpa, as it is thorny and therefore serves as a good boundary plants to keep unwanted visitors out. It also has edible fruits, so the kids can eat it and won't be at risk of being poisoned. It also has the sweetest smelling flowers when they flower, which will attract birds and bees and make your garden an attractive place for wildlife to visit, and more interesting for you to live in. 

Apart from that, I would probably also consider planting Portulacaria afra, a succulent shrub which grows in harsh weather conditions, fixes soil with its extensive root system, and does not require so much water for growth. 

For trees, you can look at planting fruit trees to feed your family and make it fun to live in the garden. Trees such as Pomegranate, Olive trees, or Fig trees. A Chinese Elm could also work, as could Bougainvilla for a fence plant due to its beautiful bright colours, and Hibiscus shrubs with their beautiful flowers. 

For the lawn you would need to prepare good soil beforehand - probably get a truck load of premixed soil - either organic or fertilizer mixed soil, and place that on the bottom, with lawn sheets placed on tops, and work the fork into it for proper water absorption. 

You could also look at making a small vegetable patch for the kids to work in, but you might need to fence it in if you have chickens or small dogs that might like to dig up your root veggies etc.

Lastly, watering it is key, so make sure you install a good irrigation system. I prefer watering by hand, as it is more effective and therapeutic doing, but if people in the house are working there is seldom time to do that, in which case you want to install some  automatically timed sprayers which come up three times a day for10-15 minutes...Very early in the morning before the sun rises, then in the middle of the day, and again late afternoon when the sun sets. 

Boundaries: it is best to have layers of various heights of plants, usually a tall (900-1200mm ht.) shrub at the back and smaller shrubs and ground covers at foreground.  The background serves as your visual and sound barrier, and the smaller layer provides cover for the usually exposed soil under the tall shrubs.  Your boundary planting strip is usually where you plant trees as well, so it should be wide enough to accommodate the rootball (check property regulation on tree distance from fence) and the shrub layers.  Trees also provide shade to plants to increase survivability, and reduce irrigation water evapotranspiration.

Lawn: should be slightly lower than the paving around it, and best bordered by a mowing strip, which can also serve as the planting strip edger to avoid creepers from mixing with the lawn.  There is a very limited selection of species that will grow in the UAE but usually, Paspalum vaginatum is selected due to its high salt water tolerance and relatively easy maintenance requirements.

Herb garden: best located near the kitchen and may be a mixed bed of various plants.  A nearby tree is advisable to provide shade and lessen the sun exposure of most herbs for better survival during summer.

Foreground plant beds: may be introduced in selected areas, perhaps in small beds between paths and lawn to keep the arrangement interesting, and at entrances as a feature.

Sustainability: consider reducing you lawn to lessen your water demand.  You can also use decorative loose aggregate in lieu of some ground covers.  Drought tolerant plants may be grouped together and programmed to be watered with less.

These are just thumb rules and each site is unique and will offer varying opportunities to further decrease the ecological impact in designing the landscape.

Native tree like Ghaf tree, Date plams, adobted trees like Neem tree, Delonix and Pennisetum and some Succulents.

These all are good tolerant with this GCC weather less maintenance...etc.

I think date palm will be good

1-Annuals2-Biennials3-Perennials4-Shrubs5-Flowering shrubs6-Ornamental shrubs7-Flowering and Ornamental Trees8-Creepers and Climbers9-Bulb

I suggest tall and wide trees for boundary such as mango but it's need more than3 meter space from boundary wall  and short flower tree for mid of boundary such all type of rose , and design some basin to plant some of vegetable and herb , i can design that beautiful to perfect for child's and women and men.

also i design so interesting Irrigation system for that.

THE FIRST JOB WILL BE PLAN THE WORK professionally &get it santion from consultant &then execute it systematically. i will prefer to plant1) Green areas of less than2000 sq.ft &adding about1000 sq ft of ground cover, if water shortage then i will suggest pebbles of white &gray as contarst to lawn.2) less water feeding shrubs like bougainvelia, Thevetia, Nerium Oleander etc. &flowering medium shrubs like Jatropha, Hibiscus,Ratrani,Ixora signoforenesis, Musenda Etc.3) i will plan for some climbers &crepers like jacmostia,Railway creeeper,Rangon creeper,Allamanda grandiflora etc,4) Small trees at inside7bigger trees liks albeziya Rebbiks,Delonix regia,Etc.on Border ,5) I will fix some statues of reputed leaders &structure besides waterbodies with creepers inside it &waterfalls &fountains in the centre of gardens to have more attarctive &aesthetic value.Thanks. kishore bhanushali,India &gulf experience for decade

Plants that can beat heat and also fulfill the requirements of xeriscaping because of less water availability of water.Bineals and Perineals are most suitable one.