A Whole Jungle in a Small Backyard! (35 m²)
Green, greener, greenest! In this unique garden, you’ll find a wide variety of shades of green. With its sturdy wooden deck, robust pergola made of chestnut posts, and the wooden siding on the shed and mini-canopy, you’ll really feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle! The many beautiful mature foliage plants really top it all off!
Among other things, you’ll find a giant banana tree (Musa basjoo), a fan palm (Trachycarpus), a tree fern (Dicksonia antartica), and a rice paper plant (Tetrapanax). The carefully selected and well-placed groundcover plants, ferns, and grasses give the garden a lush and rugged look. There’s even water beneath the deck!
Not only is this garden full of beautiful exotic plants (and plants that look exotic), but it’s also a great place to relax. Despite the limited space, there’s a (permanent) lounge chair, a hanging chair, a bistro set, and still room for a few extra chairs. It’s nice to relax in the garden on your own, yet there are still plenty of seating options for when you have guests.
This exotic dream garden was designed and created by Atmospheric Gardens. Can you imagine waking up in the morning to this beautiful view behind your house?
(Click on a photo to enlarge it)
Even when you're sitting at the back of the garden and look back toward the house, you still see a green jungle. Since you walk under the (large) leaves in many places, you really get that jungle feeling!
(Click on a photo to enlarge it)
About Garden Design
This beautiful jungle garden, measuring just 35 m² (7 meters deep and 5 meters wide), was designed and built by Bastiaan Hoogland of Sfeertuinen. The beautiful photos were taken by Chris Gottenbos. Naturally, we wanted to learn more about this unique garden. We asked Bastiaan the following questions:
What were the garden wishes?
During the initial consultation, a “jungle” atmosphere had already been mentioned, but the fact that it would turn into a full-fledged jungle came as a real surprise! The wadi and the garden shed for tools were, however, features the client had specifically requested. Furthermore, there was no specific need for a large (tiled) patio, which provided a great deal of freedom and possibilities for the garden design.
What is the garden's location, and is winter protection still needed?
The garden faces east. However, it is fairly sheltered because it is situated between two houses. There is also no back entrance. As a result, there is little to no exposure to the cold east wind. Still, the banana plants and tree ferns are wrapped up briefly when there is a frost.
What choices were made regarding the landscaping?
Naturally, typical jungle plants were chosen to capture the right atmosphere: banana trees, tree ferns, palm trees, and ferns… Beautiful leaf textures and a variety of (large) leaf shapes add a lot of ornamental value to a shady garden. The garden is a pleasure to look at, both from within the garden itself and from above. It’s also important to incorporate plenty of evergreen plants into the design. Plants have been placed all the way up to the house’s facade, so you can experience the jungle garden from inside the house as well, creating a beautiful connection between indoors and outdoors. For example, we also chose the Japanese wisteria (Fatsia japonica), which is often used as a houseplant.
Dicksonia antartica (tree fern)
What type of groundcover was used?
In the back, rough pearlgrass (Buglossoides purpurocaerulea) was chosen. This plant establishes itself well in soil where there are already many old roots from the Hedera. It can therefore withstand root competition from other plants. In addition, Hakonechloa (Japanese mountain grass), Kirengeshoma (Japanese waxflower), Asarum (wild ginger), and Rodgersia (admiral) have been planted as groundcover.
Why were different types of pavement chosen?
The varied types of paving create a playful effect here. They also highlight the different spaces and functions within the garden. A step at the end of the deck leading down to the flagstone patio reinforces this effect. The straight line of sight from the house adds depth to the garden. The semi-paved area transitions into the wadi, which is both permeable and helps retain water in the garden for longer.
(Click on the garden design to enlarge it)
Do you have any other tips for anyone who wants to create their own jungle garden?
- If you're going to do it, do it right! Make sure to create a jungle atmosphere from start to finish, using all kinds of materials and plants that you think will help create your own jungle paradise right at home.
- Take a good look at your garden’s location. If your garden is sheltered, you’ll have more options when it comes to Mediterranean plants. If your garden is exposed to strong winds and is sometimes buffeted by cold easterly winds, you’ll need to be careful about which plants you choose—or make sure your garden is adequately sheltered first.
- The more plants you can add, the more intense the jungle vibe will be. Make sure you're surrounded by greenery, so plant some that have leaves overhead or build a pergola for climbing plants.
The dense foliage really gives you that jungle vibe!
List of Plants and Materials
- Acanthus hungaricus
- Akebia quinata ‘Cream Form’
- Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’
- Aruncus ‘Horatio’
- Asarum europaeum
- Buglossoides purpurocaerulea
- Dicksonia antartica
- Dryopteris wallichiana
- Fargesia robusta ‘Campbell’
- Fatsia japonica
- Hakonechloa macra
- Kirengeshoma palmata
- Musa basjoo
- Osmunda regalis
- Rodgersia podophylla ‘Braunlaub’
- Sorbaria ‘Sem’
- Taxus baccata
- Tetrapanax papyrifera
- Trachelospermum jasminoides
- Trachycarpus fortunei
- Vitis coignetiae
- Chestnut Wood Pergola
- Hardwood sheet pile sections
- Oak planks (curved planks)
- Hardwood Garden Shed
- Low-Voltage Garden Lighting
- Bench made of anthracite-colored stacking blocks and Schellevis cover tiles
- GeoArdesia tiles from MBI