If you ever thought you didn't have space for both a garden AND a climbing net think again...
Most natural playscapes seek to combine elements of the garden with elements of the traditional playground, but I don't think I've seen one that did so on two levels quite like the 'Dymaxion Sleep' installations by Jane Hutton and Adrian Blackwell for the International Garden Festival at Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens. Inspired by both the geometries and the wacky sleep regimen of Buckminster Fuller, they installed triangular circus nets in frames over plantings of aromatic, relaxing plants like lemon geraniums, lavenders, peppermints and catmints.
The garden was so popular that it remained for the 2010 and 2011 festivals, and for 2012 they added a portion of the structure that rolls up to provide a shaded nook.
I really love this playscape--such a simple combination of elements, and yet it's far more visually appealing (and frankly looks way more fun) than many 'traditional' playgrounds. It accommodates both group or individual play, across a range of ages, and the more vertical triangles add a nice element of risk to be approached as you wish (see the boy in the final photo) or not! It would be great adapted with say, ticklish grasses interspersed with crawling paths underneath the nets.
[The first three photos are by the project's designers, Jane Hutton and Adrian Blackwell; final three by Louis Tanguay. First found at the landscape blog Pruned]
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