The Neurodivergent Spider Garden is a futuristic spider-themed reimagining of a concept garden that I designed in 2018, while living in a house-share which was occupied by an ever-changing group of six professional adults.
A live-out landlord wants a garden that is a) low maintenance and b) has a unique and relevant style that will make the house attractive to good tenants.
This garden will be shared between three groups: introverts, extroverts and (as is my ongoing mission) the local wildlife.
With new tenants frequently moving into a house-share, it is neither useful nor fair to design for specific interests or hobbies. Tenants do however fall into two distinct general groups that by definition, struggle to share spaces: introvert and extrovert. These opposite personality types form the inspiration for my design.
A wildlife-friendly garden has an exclusion area for shy species and an open area for more flamboyant species. I’ve used this model for my introvert and extrovert spaces.
For social activities, there is a seating area around a built-in table, with permanent gabion bench seating and space for extra free-standing chairs to be added. There will also be a place for nature at the table, or rather under it, as I've left a gap in the resin bound stone in order to use this space for planting. The table top must be made from spiderweb-inspired ORNILUX mikado Bird Protection Laminated Safety Glass.
Furthest from the house, is the seclusion / introvert space with separate gabion benches. (Gabions can be filled with stone, upcycled broken pavers, old bricks, logs and terracotta pots etc, and they make a wonderful habitat for wildlife.) Along the back wall is a densely planted seclusion habitat for shy species that will coexist harmoniously with quiet human activities like reading or appreciating nature.
Both humans and shy animals will be more comfortable traversing the garden without going through the open area, so I've designed a bespoke tunnel structure, running from the door of the house to the seclusion / introvert area, supporting decorative steel screens covered in climbing plants and a raised walkway, made from spiderweb-inspired ORNILUX mikado Bird Protection Laminated Safety Glass, which will be underplanted to maximise the area of greenery. You will feel like you're walking through a forest, but without disturbing nature or getting muddy shoes. This tunnel also makes one's journey through the garden more maze-like and interesting, thus creating the illusion of a larger space.