La Fortuna, Arenal
Tabacón Resort
Thermal gardens, with Tabacón Grand Spa. A cascade of thermal pools drawn down the volcano's flank, held by monstera and heliconia.
We create tropical landscapes
with lasting structure and beauty.
Selected work
Cartago, Central Valley
Finca Serena
Grounds on a family coffee estate. Dense tropical planting frames a quiet garden path, where palms, broad-leaved species and flowering accents gather in the morning mist.
San José
Patio Arenal
Courtyard, private residence. One strelitzia, one bed of ferns, two board-formed walls.
The studio
A family company.
PLANTAE began in 1985 with Juan José Cordero, a Costa Rican landscaper whose knowledge has been shaped by more than four decades of working directly with tropical plants, gardens and the land.
Today, the studio enters a new chapter as a family business. His son, Fadrique, has joined the project to strengthen its vision, relaunch the brand and lead the commercial, operational and administrative side of the company, while Juan José continues to guide every project through his botanical knowledge, design instinct and field experience.
Together, we combine generations of practical landscaping experience with a more structured and contemporary approach to design, project management and client service.
We remain intentionally personal. Every garden is studied closely, designed for its particular climate and architecture, and followed from the first conversation to the final planting.
Read the studioThe discipline
A building is complete at handover. A landscape is only beginning.
We design for what a garden will become, not only for how it looks on the day it is planted.
Every plant is chosen in relation to climate, light, soil, architecture and future growth. We value balance over excess, permanence over spectacle, and landscapes that deepen with time.
