Urban Gardening

Urban gardening photographed by Dorothy Luzy.

I plant the world as I like it!
The urban gardening trend is an omnipotent phenomenon!

As soon as the first rays of sunshine appear, the arms race begins on the balconies of the neighborhood. The gray city awakes from its hibernation - it blooms and greens on balconies, in front gardens, in front of shops, on roofs, on walls and street crossings and now even on buses! City dwellers have discovered gardening for themselves and are fulfilling their need for nature in every imaginable place.

No corner is too small, no place too remote to create a small arcadia in the middle of the city. The green space is more than just a kitchen garden or pastime. For some it serves as a place of retreat and a contemplative counterbalance to the stress of everyday life, for others as an opportunity for social exchange and to care for the neighborhood. In this way, more and more communal garden projects are emerging in urban areas, such as the Prinzessinengarten on Moritzplatz in Berlin.

A positive side effect is not only a greener city and increased quality of life. Ideally, an understanding of seasonal dependency and the need to use regional goods also develops.

Gardening requires patience and care and thus promotes concentration, but also creativity. It is not for nothing that well-known creative people such as the Designer Dries Van Noten gardening is her favorite pastime:

"That's why a garden is the perfect balance for me. To enjoy it you have to listen to it, follow its rhythm, nature cannot be controlled. It brings me back to earth.

(Interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung)

Urban Gardening Photo via modernurbanliving.com

Urban Gardening Photo via csag.uct.ac.za

Dries van Noten's Spring/Summer 2015