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Urban Gardens 2

Urban Gardens 2 - transcript

Carol Klein: Midorino Tobira, the green door, designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara is a green rooftop garden, perfect for relaxing with family and friends.

Translator for Kazuyuki Ishihara: When he was a kid he used to make a secret place and he wanted to recreate the secret place right now. He wants to surprise his close friend when he brings his friend to this space. He wouldn’t be able to believe that it’s a rooftop space.

Carol Klein: Bob Latham’s design addresses three of the biggest demands on the 21st century urban front garden. First, it provides some great ideas for recycling rain water to irrigate plants. There’s also a neat solution to bin storage and there’s even room to park a scooter.

If you’re still looking for an alternative to boring walls then the Pemberton Greenish Recess Garden could have the answer. These pink paper birch trees seem to be woven into the boundary fence and this woodblock cladding is a really simple but effective way to add drama to a small space.

Adam Frost proves that the front garden is as usable as the back and this one certainly is a welcome sight. Designed for a couple with an eye for detail it balances the need for personal space and an openness that allows for interaction with the neighbours.

The Tokyo City garden also takes on an environmentally friendly approach. Climbing plants drape a pergola covered parking space and water is harvested for irrigation.

Mark Gregory’s Children’s Society garden makes the most of small plot by using vertical living walls with dry plants at the top and wet plants thriving at the bottom. Water harvesting facilities and storage for waste and recycling are also discretely tucked away.

Thomas Hoblyn shows how a basement garden can provide the perfect environment for shade loving plants to flourish. The water feature creates just the right level of moisture for the ferns.

The Quilted Velvet garden is a garden for entertaining and relaxing in whilst enjoying the view of the city skyline. Inspired by the works of Escher, this imaginative space proves that the sky’s the limit when it comes to gardening.