When Syrian refugees in the Zaatari camp in Jordan lost hope of going home, they rearranged UN containers to make courtyards, where they put plants, running water, and song birds.
Being close to nature is one of the oldest human instincts and has proven health benefits.
The English word "paradise" comes from a Persian word meaning "enclosed garden".
The earliest European cities, as seen in murals in Herculaneum in Italy, had gardens. The Roman writer Martial also talked abo...
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.