7 _ Spazio “Ecospirituale”
A few questions to Daniela Giraudo
Let’s talk about Genesis—how did your story begin?
Since I was a child, I’ve nurtured a passion for gardening, turning the brightest room in our house into my own personal greenhouse. In our garden, I was fascinated by the teeming animal life, completely immersed in the beauty of nature. As I grew older, I decided to study to become an agricultural expert and then worked in a nursery for over 15 years. During that time, I never stopped studying design and attending refresher courses. As the culmination of these years of dedication and commitment, I decided to open my own nursery, Il Giardino dei Giunchi (“The Garden of the Rushes”), where I grow the plants I then use in the gardens I design and create.
How does nature inspire your projects and lifestyle?
Nature deeply inspires my life. That’s why I chose to live in a farmhouse in the countryside, to grow plants, and to design gardens.
As for my projects, I consider myself a keen observer of nature. I try to understand the processes through which it organizes itself so I can reproduce them—or rather, follow them. Destruction occurs when we try to go against this process. You only have to look at the human species, especially our anthropocentric culture, to understand the damage we’re causing. We may end up destroying ourselves, but nature—this immense and intelligent organism—will go on existing.
So, drawing inspiration from nature means following a process that has already been tested and working for millions of years, aligning with it, and adding our own creativity. In my work, I always strive to create gardens that are suited to all the species that inhabit them—pleasant for humans, but also for all other living beings.
How do you imagine your “mental landscape” when you create? Are there real or imaginary places that guide you?
I believe at the basis of the creative process there’s a spark—an intuition. It happens when you stop, stop listening to your thoughts, and give space and attention to that part of you that’s connected to nature, even in the sense of an ancient wisdom that created everything and of which we’re a part.
This process of stopping is, to me, what truly connects you with the genius loci—the spirit of the place—of the garden. It’s that moment when you say: “That’s the idea!” And then you develop it using your full background of knowledge, memories of landscapes you’ve seen, gardens you’ve visited. But if I start only from a mental elaboration, it doesn’t work.
Who are the people who have most inspired you artistically and professionally?
Certainly Giancarlo Barbadoro, the philosopher to whom I wanted to pay tribute with this project, a pioneer of Ecospirituality and a profound lover of nature. Barbadoro passed on to me the concept of the art of silence, from which I draw inspiration — along with the courage to think beyond anthropocentrism and a deep respect for all forms of life.
I also find great inspiration in Rosalba Nattero, a researcher and journalist who has embraced and continues to carry forward this rich and valuable cultural legacy.
Then there are landscape designers like Gilles Clément, with his garden in motion, and Piet Oudolf, for his masterful use of perennials in terms of texture and color.
I’d also like to mention architects such as Roberto Burle Marx and Zaha Hadid, for their exploration of form, and finally Masanobu Fukuoka, for his natural farming methods born from the analytical observation of nature’s intricate processes.
What does Avant gardening mean to you?
The concept of Avant gardening is perfectly encapsulated in the idea of the “ecospiritual garden.”
“Ecospirituality is the philosophy of Nature—an experience of inner harmony that extends to everything around us, with respect for the environment and all forms of life… this leads to a renewed relationship between the individual and the environment, where all living creatures—and the planet itself—are seen as having equal value and dignity to that of humans.”
—From the book Tutti figli di Madre terra by Barbadoro and Nattero.
This, in my view, is the philosophy that can truly inspire Avant gardening. On a practical level, it means seeking solutions that have less environmental impact—starting with a conscious approach to garden management, where humans are just one component, equal to all other inhabitants.
How do you practice the search for wonder?
A walk immersed in nature. Observing what’s around me without naming what I see—as if it were the first time I was seeing it. And then something magical happens. Wonder.
What emotion or feeling do you hope people experience when engaging with your work?
The feeling that you’re not the only inhabitant of the garden, but that you’re entering a shared world—full of things to discover, both hidden and revealed. I hope it sparks curiosity, wonder, and a sense of belonging.
Five words that you closely associate with the concept of the Garden of Eden?
Ancestral, wild, vital, a place of origin and place to return to.
Bio
Born in 1978 in Turin, Daniela Giraudo is a landscape designer and nurseryman who has found her calling in nature. At her nursery Il Giardino dei Giunchi in Settimo Torinese, she grows carefully selected species that she then uses in the gardens she designs and cares for. Trained as an agricultural expert, she furthered her education with courses in garden design and spontaneous garden planning. Guided by a deep connection to the earth and a constant search for harmony, she creates spaces that promote life and sustainability.
Pierre-Alexandre Risser