Garden futures: designing with nature

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Gardens have long served as spaces of leisure, identity, and cultural expression, reflecting our dreams and visions. Recently, the focus has shifted from gardens as mere romantic retreats to innovative spaces for imagining a sustainable future. Urban farms and vertical gardens exemplify this shift towards ecological justice. This exploration delves into what gardens and their designs reveal about our connection to nature, examining the evolution of modern gardening ideas while bridging past and future perspectives. The book features striking photographs of pioneering gardens by artists like Derek Jarman and designer Piet Oudolf, alongside critical essays that challenge traditional gardening ideals, such as wasteful lawns and colonial plant histories. Historical photo-essays highlight gardens as political spaces, while gardeners like Gilles Clément and Jamaica Kincaid illustrate how gardens can educate us about pressing issues like ecology and food insecurity through sensory experiences. Additionally, it showcases experimental practices from landscape architects and gardeners like Julia Watson and the Kebun-Kebun Bangsar collective. In the Anthropocene era, this work aims to inspire a collective responsibility for nurturing and stewarding our planet as a garden. Contributions from notable figures, including Jamaica Kincaid and interviews with various experts, enrich this discourse.