A father has turned his once unremarkable garden into a breathtaking ‘Amazonian’ rainforest – complete with exotic plants, ponds, and even pythons.
Chris Bowers, 39, moved into his home on the outskirts of Dover, Kent, five years ago and was shocked by the state of the neglected property, which featured a dated patio and no greenery.
He said the interior had been left to ‘rack and ruin,’ while the garden consisted of just a ‘horrible, dated patio’ without ‘a single plant in sight.’
Determined to create something extraordinary, Chris, a vehicle fitter by trade, embarked on an ambitious project to transform the space.
Today, his garden is a vibrant jungle filled with exotic plants of all shapes and sizes, including Philodendrons, ferns and Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex.’
Pictured: Chris Bowers (right) alongside his brother Oliver after transforming the garden in Dover, Kent
Chris Bowers, 39, moved into his home on the outskirts of Dover, Kent, five years ago, and has since turned the property into a lush ‘Amazonian’ rainforest (pictured)
Chris said the garden consisted of just a ‘horrible, dated patio’ without ‘a single plant in sight,’ but the space is now host to colourful plants and a rustic ceramic firepit (left, before the transformation and right, after)
The transformation is so dramatic that visitors might think they’ve stepped into the Amazon rainforest rather than a suburban outdoor space.
The garden also features a boardwalk and several water features, including a koi carp pond, adding to the tropical atmosphere.
But the most surprising elements of Chris’ jungle aren’t the plants – they’re the exotic animals he keeps inside his home.
Among his collection are a Burmese python, a royal python, a red-footed tortoise, a giant African land snail, and various stick insects from around the world.
Discussing the project, the father-of-one, said: ‘When I first moved in, we had ducks but they trashed everything I was planting.
‘We rehomed them, which meant I could start planting. I spent most of my time in the garden brainstorming. The rest is history.’
The journey to create his garden wasn’t without its challenges, as Chris admits that integrating the existing patio into the new jungle landscape was particularly difficult.
He said: ‘It never really had an identity. It was one of the hardest parts to tie in with the jungle and make sense.
Pictured: Chris Bowers’ garden before the transformation on the outskirts of Dover
Pictured: Work being done to transform Chris Bowers’ ‘horrible patio’ into a tropical mini-rainforest
Pictured: Today, Chris’ garden is a vibrant jungle filled with exotic plants of all shapes and sizes, including Philodendrons, ferns and Tetrapanax papyrifer ‘Rex’
Pictured: The garden also features a boardwalk and several water features, including a koi carp pond, adding to the tropical atmosphere
The transformation is so dramatic that visitors might think they’ve stepped into the Amazon rainforest rather than a suburban garden in Kent (pictured)
Pictured: An ornamental parrot perches on the trunk of a palm tree in Bowers’ mini-rainforest garden on the outskirts of Dover
Among his collection of exotic animals are a Burmese python, a royal python, a red-footed tortoise (pictured), a giant African land snail, and various stick insects from around the world
‘But then I saw the Mediterranean orb at the Eden Project [in Cornwall], and it sparked something with me. It’s so different to the jungle but it kind of worked and made sense.’
By researching types of surfaces and through a lot of trial and error, Chris eventually found the perfect way to tie the two spaces together, using binding gravel to create a seamless transition from the jungle to the Mediterranean-inspired area.
His garden transformation has earned praise from his brother Oliver, who has shared Chris’ love for gardening since childhood.
The 37-year-old said: ‘Chris has done an insane job. He’s turned a relatively small garden into a jungle. I’m proud of him.
‘On the day Chris moved in, I was mowing the dusty lawn at the top of the garden. If you had said to me that in five years he would have created this insane garden, I wouldn’t have believed it.’
Chris and Oliver now share a podcast and YouTube channel called ‘Our Garden Podcast’ – which they record inside a cabin within the mini-rainforest.
Oliver, who owns a woodcraft business, said: ‘I have a cottage garden whereas Chris has a jungle/rainforest vibe so we treat it as a bit of an ongoing battle of what’s better and what’s worse. It’s a hobby that we both love.’
The duo’s YouTube channel has already garnered over a million views, and they hope to share their passion for gardening with an even broader audience through their podcast.
Pictured: Light fixtures illuminate the garden-rainforest which is so thick it blocks out the sun
Chris and Oliver now share a podcast and YouTube channel called ‘Our Garden Podcast’ – which they record inside a cabin within the mini-rainforest (pictured)
The Bowers brothers are planning an open day later this summer, giving visitors a chance to experience Chris’s incredible garden transformation firsthand (pictured, the garden)
As for those considering starting their own gardening projects, Chris offers simple advice: ‘It can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be. Go buy a pack of seeds and give it a go.’
Oliver, a father of five, echoed his brother’s sentiments, encouraging people to get their children involved.
He said: ‘No matter how small your garden is, or even if you just have a balcony, you can get a small greenhouse and start with seeds. It’s fun, especially for kids, and it’s a great way to teach them about sustainability.’
The Bowers brothers are planning an open day later this summer, giving visitors a chance to experience Chris’s incredible garden transformation firsthand. Details of the event will be announced soon.
It comes as a green-fingered couple have gone viral after transforming their ‘grey’ newbuild garden into a ‘beautiful’ flowery oasis.
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