Six garden wonders that continue to inspire and delight

The six wonderful garden projects featured here have inspired and delighted us for years. They are still among the most creative, original, artistic works of landscaping the world has seen.

I don’t think it’s going too far to call them six of the top garden wonders of the world. Let me know if you know other projects worthy of inclusion.

1. Vertical Forest, Milan

The Bosco Verticale or Vertical Forest building in Milan is definitely deserving of recognition as a botanical world wonder.

It is amazing to see in reality rather than in pictures because the effects of light and wind cause the plants on the building to move and shimmer, bringing the whole tower to life.

The project consists of a pair of residential towers, one 110 metre high, the other 76 metre high, in the Porta Nuova district or Isola neighbourhood of Milan, near Milano Porta Garibaldi railway station.

Construction started in 2009 and the buildings were completed in 2014.

The project has since won numerous awards including the International High-rise Award and the Best Tall Building Worldwide.

The concept and design is mostly attributed to architect Stefano Boeri although there were others involved.

The buildings accommodate approximately 800 trees, ranging from 3 to 9 meters high, and about 4,500 shrubs and 15,00 other plants.

Trees on the buildings would equal 20,000 square feet of forest or about half an acre.

This work is stunning to behold. It looks fantastic from a distance and as you approach and get closer and closer, the scale and immensity of the project becomes even more apparent and inspiring.

I was mesmerized by the quality of plants and range and diversity of plant material used and the overall healthiness of plants. I walked around the entire building and found each side as impressive as the other.

Attention to detail and overall consistency and quality of planting are first rate.

The towers were built as an example of how to solve the problem of urban densification and a creative way to eliminate urban sprawl.

2. Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay in Singapore is another stunning horticultural wonder.
Built at a cost of more than $1 billion and completed in 2012, this complex features two massive bio-domes, one called the Flower Dome, the other called The Cloud Dome.

The site also has some towering Supertrees, measuring 25 to 50 metres high, that light up at night. The trunks of these trees are composed of an assortment of plants, including orchids and bromeliads. 

The whole Gardens by the Bay site covers a total of 250 acres and has become a very successful tourist destination and is now regarded as a wonderfully creative use of under-utilized waterfront.

The Flower Dome replicates the mild, dry climates of the Mediterranean and parts of Australia, South America and South Africa.

The Cloud dome recreates the cool, moist conditions of a tropical mountain rainforest.

3/4 Eden Project, Alnwick Garden

In England, there are two projects I have visited that I also consider fit within the “horticultural wonder category” – the Eden Project in Cornwall and Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, two projects built specifically to create employment in depressed areas of England while at the same time creating outstanding gardens that educate and inspire.

Eden with its domes filled with tropical and Mediterranean plants is a wonder and Alnwick with its Poison Garden, fabulous cascades and children’s garden is still drawing crowds and winning applause for ingenuity and innovation.

5. Paris green wall

In Paris, Patrick Blanc’s stunning green wall at the Branly Museum near the Eiffel Tower is still an iconic, groundbreaking installation that was the spark of originality that started it all with its revolutionary concept of putting plants on walls to create beautiful vertical gardens

Today, this eye-catching green wall is still home to more than 15,000 plants from 150 species from all over the world.

It is an awesome sight to stand in front of and look up to see large, foliage plants growing out from a wall, creating an beautiful tapestry of flowers and foliage and giving the illusion of a garden somehow magically raised and stood up on end.

6.  The High Line, New York

Another top garden project many people rate as a wonder because of its novelty and success is New York’s High Line, also known as High Line Park, a 1.5 mile long garden/walkway in Manhattan that was once an elevated viaduct rail line.

However,  this project was inspired by the Promenade Plantee in Paris, which was completed in 1993 – 13 years ahead of the High Line.

swhysall@hotmail.com

YOUR SUGGESTIONS