A very Mediterranean Garden

The Gardens

It all begins with an idea and wonderful people.

Our garden and terraces offer a quiet, reflective space to gather your thoughts, enjoy precious moments and connect with nature; the sea, the plants, landscape, wildlife and big skies.

For sunbathing and a good book, for restorative evenings spent with friends and family, for remembering past times and making new memories. This garden is a very special place.

Dimitri Launder is a Hellenic British artist & gardener, his maternal family is from Symi.  Known as Artist Gardener, for 25 years he has led socially engaged practice that considers regenerative ecologies and gardens as reciprocal to our future. He consults on , designs and delivers gently provocative planting propagations, resulting in a diverse spectrum of works including conversations, walks, installations and often gardens. He has worked with RHS Hampton Court Flower Show, Tate Modern, CCA Glasgow, Arts Catalyst and Estuary Festival.

Dimitri describes a little of how he approached the brief and developed the design:

“I wanted the soil to be celebrated as the soul of this garden, alongside fragrant drought resistant planting & the sanctuary of cool dappled shade cradled by the ancient dry stone terrace walls. For Selene I researched and created a sustainable soil system based on my adaption of archaic methods. An integrated terracotta wormery system that I've called 'Amphora Composting'  The amphora indigo lids sit in visual harmony with the terraces, the sea & the sky of Nimborio.

We wanted to embed the connection and relational ethos between Selene, the gardens & the ecology of the island....

Soil regeneration is at the core of rural sustainability on an island like Symi. There are thousands of archaic terraces across the island that have been pouring their fertile soil into the sea.... the evidence is in the prolific sea grass meadows. A green halo around the island quietly sequestereing more carbon than any forest ever could

The garden story in pictures:

About our talented garden designer:

Availability
Close-up of a large, weathered terracotta pot with holes, positioned outdoors against mountainous terrain and a cloudy sky.
Dimitri Launder walking on a garden path in the newly designed gardens at Emporio villa NImborio, now newly named Selene Greece in Symi, next to a stone wall overlooking Nimborio with houses and mountains in the background.
Scenic view of a sunny terrace at Selene Greece with a stone pathway, lush greenery, and distant mountains overlooking the aegean sea at Nimborio, in Symi Greece
A newly laid garden terrace with newly planted shrubs and flowers, bordered by a stone wall and a winding stone pathway, with potted plants and trees in the background. At Selene Symi, Greece
A large tree with green leaves in a brick planter on a patio near a body of water, with mountains and a boat in the background.
A peaceful garden terrace with a stone bench with blue cushions, a metal chair, lush greenery, trees, potted plants, and a paved walkway, under a clear blue sky. At Emporio villa in Symi, now named The Selene Greece. Selene Symi.
A sunny garden terrace at Selene Greece with a stone pathway, lush green plants, colorful flowers, large trees, and a view of mountains and sea in the background. Nimborio, Symi Island.
Pink bougainvillea flowers with green leaves over a clear blue sea and mountainous landscape in the background at Nimborio Symi, Greece
View of a peaceful sea at Nimborio Bay surrounded by rocky hills, seen from the terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi. Potted purple and pink flowers.
The terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi. A scenic view of Nimborio bay landscape with trees, mountains, and a boat on the water.
The terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi. View of Nimboro Bay with a boat speeding across, a rocky hillside in the background, and a garden with bushes, plants, chairs and a table in the foreground.
The terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi. A view of a waterfront landscape with trees, a stone patio, and a mountainous background with scattered houses across the water.
Colorful view of The Selene Greece in Symi with trees and a rocky mountain in the background, overlookingthe waters edge at Nimborio bay at the bottom of the image.
A scenic view of a blue water at Nimborio Bay with a wooden sailboat, some white buildings, and rocky hills in the background, framed by lush green shrubs and trees in the foreground. From the terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi.
Close-up of small purple and white flowers on green stems in a garden, with blurred background of other plants and flowers. In the terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi.
Purple flowers with long green leaves against a bright blue sky in the terraced gardens at Selene Greece in Symi.