Quiet Time - DMZ Forbidden Garden

War is fatal to nature. Designer Jihae Hwang however, hopes to demonstrate the versatility and resilience of nature through her garden design, reproducing the landscape found in the Demilitarised Zone between North and South Korea.

Throughout the Korean War the natural ecosystems in this area were devastated.

Now 60 years on, the DMZ still bears the scars of war but has gradually become a natural sanctuary; a place where migratory birds gather and indigenous plants grow. Through the design of ‘Quiet Time’ Hwang hopes to illustrate the true healing power of nature in restoring man-made damage.

Confined within a border of barbed wire, there will be considered planting of native Korean species, along with plants traditionally used for treatment or consumption during the War, such as mugwort and creeping thistle, thought to help stop bleeding.

Winter daphnes and lilacs will be used in memory of fallen soldiers, symbolising eternal thanks for their sacrifices. A walkway of buttons will be used to signify the many soldiers who died in the Korean War and an imposing guard tower will form a central feature from which visitors will be able to view the entire garden.

Poignantly, this structure will signify the secure boundary where prisoner exchange would take place after the War.

Plants list  

Herbacecous, annuals and perennials
Allium thunbergii G.Don
Anthriscus sylvestris
Aralia contrimentalis
Arisaema amurense var. serratum NAKAI
Arisaema ringens f. sieboldii
Artemesia princeps
Asarum sieboldii
Astilbe chinensis
Aquilegia buergeriana var. oxysepala
Cardamine yezoensis
Chimaphila japonica Miq.
Cirsium japonicum var. uss
Convallaria keiskei
Disporum smilacinum
Duchesnea chrysantha
Filipendula rufinervis
Geum Totally Tangerine
Geranium robertum
Ligularia fischeri
Lilium lancifolium
Lychnis cognata Maxim.
Lycoris squamigera
Mukdenia rossii
Potentilla erecta
Sanguisorba hakusanensis
Sanguisorba officinalis L.
Sanguisorba Pink Tanna
Thalictrum aquilegifolium
Thalictrum Black Stockings
Thalictrum filamentosum
Thalictrum rochebruneanum
Tiarella Crow Feather
Veronica officinalis

Shrubs and Trees
Acanthopanax senticosus v. koreanus
Berberis amurensis v. latifolia   
Carpinus laxiflora v. longispica
Cornus alba Beteramsii
Corylopsis coreana Uyeki    
Cornus kousa var. chinensis
Deutzia glabrata  
Deutzia parviflora v. barbinervis
Philadelphus aff. incanus
Philadelphus Belle Etoile
Quercus robur
Sorbaria sorbifolia v. stellipila   
Sorbus alnifolia
Stephandra koriense
Styrax japonica  
Symphoricarpos albus
Syringa Red Pixie

Climbers
Actinidia arguta
Actinidia chinensis
Akebia quinata
Clematis brachyura
Clematis chiisanensis
Clematis koreana
Clematis terniflora
Clematis urticifolia
Lonicera henyri
Vitis coignetiae Pulliat