Designing gardens that give something back
I believe gardens can do more than simply look beautiful. As a garden designer, I’m fortunate to be able to use my experience and creativity to contribute to projects where gardens can have a wider purpose.
Giving back is an opportunity to share those skills beyond private gardens, and to help create spaces that can be enjoyed by many.
One of the organisations I have been especially proud to support is Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, whose gardens provide important spaces for patients, families, volunteers and staff.
I have been fortunate to contribute garden design and planting expertise to help develop these spaces, including work on the gardens surrounding the Inpatient Unit.
A garden for the Inpatient Unit
The aim was to create colourful, welcoming planting that could be enjoyed from the patients' rooms, while making the most of the garden that was already there.
Rather than starting again, existing plants were carefully considered and relocated where appropriate. It meant new planting could be introduced while reducing waste and keeping the project as resource-conscious as possible.
Read more about the story.
The Volunteers' Garden
More recently, my work with Arthur Rank Hospice Charity inspired a very different project: The Volunteers' Garden, a show garden created for the BBC Gardeners' World Autumn Fair.
The garden was designed to celebrate the dedicated volunteers who care for the hospice gardens, and to reflect the restorative qualities that gardens and gardening can bring.
Naturalistic planting, movement and place to pause created a space that felt both generous and intimate, while the design drew on the character and atmosphere of the hospice gardens.
Creating a show garden offered an opportunity to tell this story in a different way — bringing the work of the hospice volunteers to a much wider audience and celebrating the connection between people, plants and place.