AT first glance this may seem like a corner of the Amazon rainforest, but it’s actually a back garden in urban London.

    Builder Patrick de Nangle transformed the space behind his home in Camberwell, south London, into a peaceful oasis complete with 16-foot-tall (4.9-meter-tall) ferns and palm trees.

    The 58-year-old has spent 12 years making the tropical paradise garden for his six-bedroom home, which started with just one plant he bought from B&Q.

    Each of the massive tree ferns blooms is so expensive that they are protected by state-of-the-art close-circuit television security systems, in a bid to foil any attempt by thieves to steal them.

    He now spends a couple of days every week cultivating the area, complete with a clover-covered lawn, nestled between the Victorian terrace.

    “This really is a labor of love,” he said. “I grew up on a farm and I always helped out in the garden. When I retired from being a builder, I knew I needed a hobby and this really suits me.”

    His garden also contains three palm trees and hanging baskets, crammed into the back garden — but most of his plants are the huge New Zealand native ferns.

    Instead of grass, the carpet of green is provided by a clover-type plant called “Mind-your-own Business,” because it never needs mowing.

    He added, “The ferns cost a bit to buy but they are worth a lot more now. It’s quite hard to put a price on everything, because how can you put a price on a hobby you love.

    “I was trying to create a tropical garden, but I ended up falling in love with ferns.

    “Going through my house is like walking through a tunnel and coming out in New Zealand.”

    In the cold winter months, he wraps the huge ferns in specially made tree jackets that are hooked up to a central heater so the plants can stay warm. De Nangle added, “I love the plants. My grandfather used to do landscape gardening when he was young.

    “He started my interest, his garden was amazing. I have done some of my neighbors’ gardens as well, but mine is especially close to my heart.”(SD-Agencies)