Working with our client, we developed what became a tropical oasis in Coral Gables. Living most of the time in England, which is surely the gardening capital of the world, this young couple were no strangers to designed gardens. However, they made a point of letting us know that when they visit Florida, they want to feel as if they are in the tropics and not in the English countryside. On our first visit to the property we found an overgrown jungle, hiding what appeared to have been an attractive house at one time. The vegetation was so thick you could not see more than 5 feet in any direction. After spending some time in the almost impenetrable bush, we managed to find and catalog a good number of trees and palms that we could use in the renovation. The property is fairly large for that part of Coral Gables, and we wanted to accentuate that size. The different “rooms” would need to incorporate tropical planting, as well as hardscaping was native to the tropics. Throughout the project the collaboration between SMI, the client, and architect Rafael Portuondo was enjoyable and fruitful. We at SMI, as our client, who loved it, feel that we created a garden they could discuss proudly with aficionados on either side of the Atlantic.