Meet the Locals: Ravenala Landscaping

Hi- my name is Andre Niederberger and I own Ravenala Landscaping.  We are a full service Landscaping company providing garden design and installation, garden renovations, maintenance and property cleaning. My wife, Molly and I moved to Costa Rica in 2006.  I grew up in Switzerland, but as a child had the opportunity to live in South America where I fell in love with tropical plants and the Latino lifestyle.  I studied tropical horticulture and agriculture in Switzerland and then migrated to the US where I began working in Landscaping, first in California and then in New Orleans, Louisiana.

I always hoped to return to Latin America and Costa Rica was the perfect fit for both me and my wife.

I love working in Costa Rica because I have a chance to work with really amazing native plant life. I design gardens with both native and more traditional tropical looking plants and use erosion control and irrigation to have the littlest impact on the environment.  I like to design irrigation systems that help conserve water use and protect the plants and the environment, but I really love when I have the opportunity to design a garden using all native plants that are hardy and drought resistant during our dry season.

When we decided to leave the US we started to research many places in Central and South America and Costa Rica looked like a good opportunity for our investment and safety.  When we came here to actually see if we would like it we spent a couple weeks driving around and exploring the different areas, we  instantly knew we wanted to return to the Nandamojo Valley to set up our new lives.  We love the location and easy access, but also the quite un-overdeveloped feel and look of the place.

My favorite thing (besides the plants) about living in Paraiso is that on a hot day when I am either tired from working in the garden or suffering  burnout form office work – I can jump on my motorcycle and drive down to the beach and take a 15 minute swim in the surf.  The warm clear water and amazing waves always rejuvenates me and reminds me of why I moved to Paradise!.