Winners were absolutely delighted at last month’s Annual Emaar Garden Competition Awards Ceremony, held at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club on 16 May. This year’s competition brought in record breaking number of entries, which made choosing a winner difficult for our judges.

Some of trends seen this year were organic, and stream-lined or modern gardens. The first runner up for Best Creative Garden-Small, Daniel and Atsuko Harrison explained how they cultured a natural style even down to constructing their own vegetable planter boxes from recycled materials.

2012 Emaar Best Garden Competition

23 finalists and their families gathered to speak about their most passionate horticultural projects, feast over other

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“I did not know much about landscaping. It was my visit to Bali that inspired me and since then I have been taking a lot of interest in my garden, planting various sorts of trees & plants”, enthused Deepika Mehta, the first Runner-Up for Large Garden, and a resident of Emirates Hills.Apart from the participation certificate, she was also awarded with a gift voucher from Sultan Garden Centre.

ECM continually works to enhance our communities. Here are some of the recent enhancements taken place in Emirates Living.

* Replacement of damaged play equipment is underway with installation of brand new play structures completed in The Springs and in progress at The Meadows.

* Major landscaping enhancement work is nearing completion across Emirates Hills.

* Refurbishment and painting of all the gate houses in The Springs, The Lakes, and The Meadows was completed by our service provider free of cost.

* Colorful Vinca flowers are being planted at all of the tree pits in The Springs and will soon brighten the streetscape.

* New sunbed covers grace all the mattresses at The Springs pools. Umbrellas and additional sunbed covers are on the way for the remaining pools in The Springs, The Lakes and The Meadows.

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* Meadows 7 gate signage, which was removed due to RTA road works on the Springs Drive, has been restored.

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* On the request of the residents, the Meadows 2 park gates have undergone installation of safety latches, contributing towards the overall safety of the kids in the park.

* Benches will soon be installed in Emirates Hills Corniche street & Nisreen street areas.

CommunityImprovements

Thank you to all participants, finalists and winners for making this year’s competition the best so far! We look forward to seeing your 2013 entries next year.

inspirational designs while chatting with friends and the ECM team about their gardens. After a presentation featuring videos and pictures of the best gardens, four big winners took home customized crystal trophies and gift vouchers from The Sultan Garden Center.

ECM wins 2012 Sustainability Initiative AwardUnder stiff competition from other developers, government entities and service providers, ECM won the award for “Sustainability Initiative of the Year” at the recent Facilities Management Middle East Awards 2012.

The award winning initiatives consisted of a project within five communities in Downtown Dubai where several strategies were implemented to monitor and tweak systems to optimize efficiencies and reduce costs. Allowing for the fact that DEWA tariffs have been raised in the last couple of years ECM has worked to save millions across the five communities in the last year.

This is an important award and further reiterates ECM’s commitment towards the sustainability of our communities and environment.

Jeevan D’Mello, Senior Director, ECM and Ahmad Al Falasi, Executive Director, Property Management

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The Best of Emirates Living Garden Competition 2012

Deepika Mehta - Emirates HillsFirst Runner-Up, Large Garden

Larry & Adriana Howie - HattanWinner, Best Creative Garden-Large

Parviz Bahramirad & Zahra Vahabian - The SpringsWinner, Best Small Garden

This enchanting garden invites one to linger, to lounge under the shaded pergola, to daydream. The Howie’s attention to detail shines in every corner – from the mosaic octopus to the seashell shaped plant pot – and an overall marine theme ties everything together.

Highly stylized modern design set the Bahramirad garden apart from all others. The overall effect? A precise, stylish and functional space with carefully placed jolts of color.

Yielding a bounty of carefully tended vegetables that go straight into delicious dinners, the Harrison’s garden is a small space brimming with natural touches. Finishing the effect are a bowl of unusual (for Dubai) flower bulbs, a tree stump serving as an organic statue and lizard ornaments dancing on the walls.

Beautiful, unique wooden sculptures adorn the garden and each zone has a purpose, from the children’s horticultural garden on one side to the play area on the other. In between is a pool that serves double duty as a fountain, a gong loved for its positive vibes and relaxing seating areas.

Daniel & Atsuko Harrison - The SpringsFirst Runner-Up, Creative Small Garden

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Summer Garden Tips

• Use mulch! Mulch helps conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature and control weeds around trees and shrubs when placed .

• Select plants that require low to minimum irrigation levels.

Eco Kids - Get your kids involved, or are they involved already?

Plants suited to Dubai’s desert climate include:

Dubai summers sizzle. Without proper irrigation and care, your garden may suffer and plants might wilt, get crispy and die back. While initial plant selection plays a part in keeping your garden green over the summer months, here are some other tips from our experts to keep your plants happy and thriving over the next few months.

• Call a professional to conduct an irrigation audit of your garden to check flow rates, system pressure and condition of poly tubes

• Automatic irrigation systems will prevent over watering.• Program irrigation cycles to water grass areas with sprinklers between 12 midnight and early morning and use drip tube systems

• Modify your irrigation system seasonally to reflect climate changes. • Plan your garden so plants with similar water requirements are grouped together.• Trees located within shrub beds areas should be individually irrigated and zoned separately.

Desert Rose (Adenium Obesum) Yucca Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera)

Satsita, age 12The Meadows

We all know kids have their opinions especially when it comes to their clothes, the types foods they like and do not like (brussel sprouts, yuck!) and of course the type of music they listen to. But these days most even have strong opinions about the environment. Yes, there are many environmental agencies in Dubai who take the initiative in saving the world, but have you asked your child lately what environ-ment facts they have been learning? Chances are they will have a lot to say. To keep kids engaged ECM launched our new environment campaign in May and “Eco Kids” stepped into homes across all ECM managed communities spreading their message of easy environment habits. Eco Kids encourages simple ideas such as shutting off lights when not in use and turning off the water while brushing teeth. Six year old Rhea Advani, a Springs resident, says “I always have to remind my mom to carry cloth bags” and 12 year old Nik D’Mello from Arabian Ranches tells us “it makes me crazy when I see that all switches for the mobile phones chargers on, so now when I come home from school I go around turning them off.”

Last month’s campaign culminated in a contest where children up to age 12 sent us their drawings of how they help save the environment. Nearly 140 entries from all ECM communities flew into the ECM office, leading our team to ooh and ah over the creativity and talent of our resident Eco Kids.

Before You TravelDo you worry about your home while on vacation? Put your mind at ease with the help of Dubai Police. Upon request, the police will monitor your villa while you’re away, ensuring the safety and security of your home until your return. Emirates Living residents may register for the home safety program at Jebel Ali Police Station. Online registration is also possible at www.dubaipolice.gov.ae by selecting Online Services then Security Services and clicking “Request to Monitor a Residence.”

Congratulations to the Emirates Living winners, each of whom will receive a shiny new iPod for their efforts!

Satsita, age 12, The MeadowsNina, age 9, The SpringsMariya, age 9, The MeadowsShahmir, age 6, The MeadowsTej Parnav, age 12, The Lakes

and spray heads.

for shrubs and trees during the day.

on the soil surface over the tree or shrub root system. Organic mulches such as bark, wood chips, straw or partially decomposed leaves are best applied 3 to 4 inches deep but take care to maintain a 4 to 6 inch mulch-free area adjacent to stems.

The fun continues with an exhibition at Dubai Marina Mall on Tuesday, 26 June with an evening award ceremony for all the participants.

USEFUL NUMBERS

Fire 997 TAXI (RTA) 800 9090Ambulance 998 DEWA 991Police 999 Community Security Hotline Al Ameen 800 4888 (24 hours)

04 308 9555

Dubai Municipality 800 900

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Emaar Customer Care Centre and Credit Control have moved to Emaar Square, Downtown Dubai, Building 2, on the Ground floor.

Timings:Customer Care: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Sunday to Thursday.Credit Control: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Sunday to Thursday, and 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Friday and Saturday.

ECO-Kids Save The WorldWow! We asked for your ideas and over 50 fantastic entries flew in from Emirates Living. Narrowing a list of winners was tough: every entry showed tremendous care, creativity and dedication to the environment.

Nina, age 9The Springs

Tej Parnav, age 12The Lakes

Mariya, age 9The Meadows

Shahmir, age 6The Meadows

Published by Emaar Community Management: Contact us at communities@emaar.ae

Emirates Living Ramadan FootballRejoice in the spirit of brotherhood and sportsmanship during the Holy Month of Ramadan. ECM will be organizing a friendly ‘Ramadan Soccer’ tournament for the residents of Emirates Living in early August.