In Godawari, on the outskirts of Katmandu, the National Botanical Garden of Nepal was always a desirable destination for school picnics and tourists wanting to escape the busy city. However, there were few resources to explain the importance of the Nepalese plants growing there to these visitors.

I worked closely with scientists and horticulturalists in Nepal and UK to address this. An interpretation scheme was developed alongside a new garden area which, together, engaged visitors with compelling stories of Nepalese native plants.

The final scheme comprised 25 Featured Plant Panels with stories of specific Nepalese native plants. The posts for the panels were made from reclaimed Nepalese Sal wood by local craftsmen to our designs. These were complemented by three Ecological Zone signs on dry-stone cairns, which introduced the various climatic biomes in Nepal and a welcome structure to introduce the garden.

The scheme resulted in a large increase in the number of school groups and visitors using this bit of the garden.