A garden in the city provides its owners with their own piece of paradise

 
We all need quiet time at the end of a long day to refresh our minds and renew our spirits. This garden is the perfect spot for doing just that. Looking at the property from the street shows few hints of the lush escape that lies within. Walking through the gate, however, will transport you to a different place.
The garden is located in an exclusive residential enclave. Rading Decepida designed it to give his clients respite from their busy lives. This piece of paradise complements the clean lines of the house sitting in the middle of the property. Looking around the area will bring one of the lush landscapes of Bali to mind.

 
“First of all, this was actually a renovation project. The whole garden was was flat before with plants everywhere. The owner asked for the garden to have a resort-like ambiance so he wouldn’t feel like he was in Manila every time he came home,” Rading explains.

 
Given that directive, Rading used a lot of elements such as boulders, planters, and pavers in combination with his relaxed planting style. He wanted to create a setting suggestive of natural landscapes. “There were a lot of existing plants when I got here. I used them as much as I could in the design,” he recalls.

 
Rading chose a lot of plants with large or interesting foliage. “I used zamias,dendrobiums, bromeliads, calatheas, and ferns. The owner asked that I cover the other houses from view.  All the plants, as a result, are positioned to give him the privacy he likes,” he shares.

 
The whole project took Rading two and a half months to build from conceptualization to completion. “I presented some options and the client just said, ‘Sige, bahala ka na sa design.’ I incorporated a lot of planters and jars in addition to the plant materials, because of the tropical theme. Some plants are in planters, others in containers, but most are on ground. For the most part, a large number of plants are in their natural state. Others were trimmed and shaped depending on where they were placed,” he says.

 
A large pool with a lanai wrapping around it spans the length of the house. One of Rading specialties is designing water features for his projects. However, he thought them unnecessary for this one. “Water greatly changes the look and feel of a space. It changes a landscape. It’s a great stress-reducer, as well,” he shares.

 
Every room of the house has an unobstructed view of the outdoors. Users can enjoy multiple seating areas, relaxing vistas, and the refreshing pool. This garden is the ultimate city escape. Most of all, the owner has all the quiet he likes while being surrounded by his own piece of paradise.