The best greenhouse gardens on board superyachts

Despite the rugged exterior of Hakvoort explorer yacht Scout, the interiors by H2 Yacht Design are styled as calming spaces with whimsical elements such as the greenhouse. Owner James Berwind, who spends about seven months a year on board the 63.72 metre Scout with his partner Kevin Clark and their two dogs, is a keen gardener, so enjoys retreating to the bridge deck to care for the home-grown plants on board. This green space features an enclosed teak shade house with slats for hanging plants and flowers such as orchids in baskets to create a vertical garden. The area is also equipped with a potting shed to starboard with a sink and storage for garden tools and pots.

There’s plenty of greenery throughout 136 metre Flying Fox, but especially in the saloon, where sprouting planters line the balustrade and giant weeping figs fill the corners. Interior designer Mark Berryman explains that Flying Fox’s green spaces are connected with “a full irrigation system on board that is then linked down to the engine control room so that you can keep a check on what is working and if there are any problems there.” Each plant has a different watering schedule and individual program that ensures that the right quantities of nutrients are provided depending on the species. There’s also a specialised lighting system that produces the perfect amount of UV for each plant without bleaching other materials throughout the interior.

This vast tropical superyacht garden, comprising real grass and plants, makes you forget you’re sailing across the ocean on a 76.61 metre Amels. Located on the aft end of the upper deck, the space was styled by interior designers Terence Disdale and Sterling Scott. It is decorated with troughs containing soil for plants to grow and planters overhanging the deck rails. The garden was created at the request of Boadicea's owners as many of their guests wanted to bring their dogs on board and give them a green space to roam in, but it also serves as a relaxing area in which the owners and guests like to enjoy afternoon tea.

Her colourful exterior is not the only thing that makes Peter Pan-inspured Sea Owl a green superyacht. To spice up meals on board, the chef can pick fresh herbs from the nifty garden on the superyacht sundeck of this 61.9 metre Feadship. Launched in 2013 by the venerable Dutch yard, Sea Owl features interior and exterior styling by British studio Winch Design.

Living up to her idyllic name, the 54.9 metre Benetti superyacht Ocean Paradise has a calming Japanese Zen garden with bonsai trees in the main deck foyer to inspire a feeling of relaxation. Designer Mauro Izzo describes this area as “an element that expresses naturalness and vitality together” and the crew proudly tends to it on a daily basis.

A “dream” garden of real greenery — its sap replaced by a chemical mixture — hangs over the beds in the guest cabins on board this 42.4 metre Mondomarine superyacht Serenity. Styled by interior designers Fatima Ahmed Al Maidan and Luca Vallebona, this unique feature was one of the key reasons why Serenity was nominated for both the 2016 ShowBoats Design Awards and the 2016 World Superyacht Awards.

"I gave the interiors a very clean design so as not to overwhelm guests” Al Maidan details. “Each suite has its colour scheme matched by the bathroom’s onyx basin tops. Fancy touches are provided by richly decorated fabrics and decorative features such as the two vibrant green vertical gardens hanging above the beds in both double and VIP cabins.”

A glass-enclosed vertical garden rising from the main deck to the level above makes 72.2 metre VSY Stella Maris a vision in green. Designer Espen Øino detailed that he wanted to “hit the perfect balance between form and function, innovation and technology, comfort and aesthetics”. From an engineering point of view, vibration reduction was particularly important, as this area sits directly above the engine room. The jungle-like cluster of tropical plants therefore provides a focal point as well as also filling up a vibration-laden space to create a calming atmosphere.