Midori Gardens

Midori Gardens is a small design studio based in London, creating natural spaces in both domestic and commercial gardens. The studio is lead by Tom Wilkes-Rios, who has developed a unique style & aesthetic to his work that allows him to create long-lasting pockets of wilderness. APPROACH A garden should be a sanctuary - a place of tranquility and reflection, similar to those special places we stumble upon in the wild. Nature's spaces are a constant source of inspiration: hedgerows, river banks, mountains and meadows. Tom likes to recreate these scenes of nature in someone's back garden, and conjure the feeling that they had always been there. He looks to naturally occurring compositions and plant combinations for inspiration, and aims to design spaces as true to a natural environment as possible, while adapting the scheme to suit to an urban landscape such as London. Tom enjoys being able to bring an element of the wilderness into someone's home, and he does this mostly through the use of plants. Hard landscaping elements are quite minimal in his schemes. Undulating lines and levels are used to replicate the natural physical landscape and the layering of plants of varying ages & sizes creates a more organic feel to a space. Tom is also greatly influenced by Japanese design principles and their unique approach to gardening. Their use of boulders, moss and native plants to create a natural scene is greatly inspiring. Their style of clipped shrubs or trees with distinct features turns gardening into a sculptural art, creating a pleasing and relaxing aesthetic. Tom likes to cultivate gardens over time and his schemes typically have the future in mind - trees and shrubs are selected to create a sense of structure, permanence and eventually, maturity. The aim is to create low impact designs that need a minimal amount of maintenance or human interference. Taking care of and experiencing your garden should be therapeutic and calming, with considered and sensitive planting.