Secluded Nature - Urban Gardens

When I lived in a small farming village called Ban Chang, in Thailand, I used to eagerly anticipate my pilgrimages to the big smoke of Bangkok. My favourite place there was Lumpini Park: An oasis of calm, set slap bang in the centre of the city. Streams trickle their way through the grassy embankments, whilst monitor lizards bask in the brilliant sunshine. Locals move gracefully from one Tai Chi position to the next, under the dappled shade of the trees.

Behind this vision of tranquillity, the hustle and bustle of layer-upon-layer of this fabulous city radiates out. I think this is why I have an affinity with this place: I’m a city girl at heart, but crave the wilderness and calming lure of nature; the feeling of blissful serenity, encompassed by the energy and vibrancy of the concrete jungle.

Hidden gardens in the humdrum of London; rooftop gardens on skyscrapers; internal courtyard gardens, within buildings; Central Park, New York; Sky Gardens, Singapore; my Saturday morning stomping ground of Ashton Court. These are places I could quite happily spend a significant amount of time, and are imperative to the well-being of us city-dwellers. Biophilic design, and intertwining nature within more urban settings, is something that I hold dear, and thrills me to see more and more designers embracing it.

Where are your favourite secret gardens?

#natureincities #plants #biophilicdesign #hiddengardens #plantsininteriors #bringingnaturein #greencities