Hong Kong is the starting point of this project, where I am investigating how urban environments shape plant diversity and distribution. I am documenting plants across different microhabitats and recording how factors such as light exposure, moisture, temperature, human disturbance and maintenance influence where species grow.
The aim is to move beyond simple plant identification and look for ecological patterns within the city. Such as, which species thrive under certain conditions, which habitats support greater diversity, and how strongly human management affects spontaneous vegetation.
There are 3 different microhabitats that were explored
Managed Garden
Managed gardens in Hong Kong usually create a more controlled and buffered microclimate than nearby streets. Tree canopies provide shade and reduce heat from direct sunlight, while irrigation, mulch, prepared soil, and drainage can help keep the ground’s humidity. Dense vegetation and nearby water features may also increase local humidity, although shaded areas are not always cooler if airflow is limited by trees, walls, or surrounding buildings. A single garden can contain several different microclimates, such as cool shaded beds, wetter pond edges, open lawns, dry slopes, and warmer paved areas. Because these spaces are actively managed through watering, pruning, and plant selection, healthy plants cannot automatically be considered naturally adapted to the site.
.
.
.