Precious Okoyomon, editor of CULTURED at Home gardens, selects five unconventional natural landscapes that thrive against difficult odds. These include Dumbarton Oaks in Washington DC with its ancient wisteria, the radioactive waste site Dead Horse Bay in Brooklyn where invasive species bloom, the childhood haven Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Ohio, the Persian-inspired Untermyer Gardens in Yonkers, and Derek Jarman's seaside garden beside a nuclear plant in Dungeness, UK. Each location is described through Okoyomon's personal reflections, illustrated by Erin Knutson.
This article matters because it challenges traditional definitions of gardens, reframing them as sites of resilience, memory, and ecological defiance. By highlighting landscapes that emerge from contamination, decay, or marginal spaces, Okoyomon expands the cultural conversation around gardening as an artistic and political act. The piece connects personal history, environmental degradation, and botanical wonder, offering a fresh perspective on how we relate to nature in the Anthropocene.