The Colors of Nature: Subtropical Gardens

In exquisite gardens inspired by the lush native plants of his adopted home of Miami, landscape artist/architect Raymond Jungles uses nature as a means of self-expression.

He is known for modernist groupings of geometric shapes, which highlight the natural aspects of plantings, water features, and native stone. His use of plants, drawn largely from those indigenous to subtropical regions, emphasizes their dramatic sculptural forms. Jungles’s original and inviting green spaces, like those of his mentor, the master landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, bring the comfort and beauty of nature into built settings.

This monograph on the work of Raymond Jungles features more than 20 residential projects. From a rooftop garden 34 stories in the air to a natural setting of ponds and islands surrounding a 1920s residence to an informal green space in the Pearl Islands of Panama, Jungles constructs vibrant spaces that complement the natural environment.

His modern vocabulary is on display in beautiful color photographs that document each landscape in both panoramic views and intimate details. Jungles’s own descriptions of each garden address the process of making the landscape as well as the design elements that tie each composition to common experiences of nature.

Raymond Jungles is the founder and principal of Jungles Landscape Architect in Miami, Florida.

Terence Riley is the director of the Miami Art Museum. He was formerly a chief curator at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The author lives in Miami, FL.