AL AIN // After much persuasion by family and friends, Hamad al Iryani decided to enter a competition to win the prestigious title of most beautiful garden in Al Ain.
As he sat confidently among almost 50 other Emiratis, he was shocked to discover he had clinched second place.
"I was 90 per cent sure that I would win first place; everyone told me I had the best garden," said the 38-year-old retired policeman. "But the first-place winner was my cousin, so it's all family."
Mohammed al Jabri, a member of the judging committee, said choosing the winner out of 140 entries was difficult. "The competition was especially fierce for the first three," he said. "We visited 84 houses within a month, some pulled us, others didn't."
He told Mr al Iryani the only difference between his garden and his cousin's was the landscape. "His was a little more modern," he said of Rashid al Iryani's garden, which was equipped with fewer flowers and more extravagant waterfalls.
Despite his slight disappointment with second place, Mr al Iryani was thrilled to be awarded the Dh30,000 prize by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed, the Ruler's Representative for the Eastern Region.
"The feeling is indescribable; it is such a good encouragement," he said. "Especially when we live in Al Ain, the town of beauty - a house is part of a town."
Mr al Iryani said the joy his garden brings him was priceless.
"Just imagine: waking up to the sounds of birds and waterfalls, the smell of flowers and exotic fruit plants, and the view of greenery - it is all customary for me. Now I don't even need to travel for this beauty because it is in my front and back garden," he said. Mr al Iryani said he has not taken a family trip abroad in two years, since he started working on his garden. "Why do I need to? We used to go to Europe to see the greenery, now we have it here. We have breakfast and dinner here, and we used to have lunch here when the weather was nicer."
So far almost 60 passers-by have knocked on Mr al Iryani's door, asking to see his garden.
"I don't know any of them, but when they see the place from outside and the greenery and the waterfall amid the desert, they are curious and want to see inside my gate into the garden," he said. "And I let them see the whole place. I like to let others start where I have reached to learn from my experience. And I like to be in the garden more than anywhere else."
His passion for gardening and gardens did not start until two years ago, when he moved to his new house. He has so far spent Dh350,000 on his 6,000 square metre property, and has plans to continue adding to the garden.
"Every time I see something new, I get it. I keep renewing everything," he said. "There is nothing you can think of or imagine that is not in my garden. I have planted olive, mango, orange, banana - everything you can imagine, honestly. I have learnt so much in the past two years from this."
His wife, Umm Ahmed, added that family and friends all prefer to go to her garden instead of the public gardens. "Even my son says our garden is prettier than some of the public gardens," said the mother of six. "When I am sad or feel frustrated from the kids, I go outside. It makes me feel relaxed and it's soothing to the eye.
"When we heard of the competition and came to enter, we didn't change anything to our garden," she said. "It is hard to change around because the weather is harsh on plants, so you need to pick the ones which will work. But maybe next year we will change it a little."
Rashid al Iryani, the overall winner, was presented with a cheque for Dh50,000. Mohammed al Amiri won Dh20,000 for third. The next six finishers were awarded certificates, and gardening services from Al Ain municipality companies for an indefinite period.
