RHS flower show garden blossoms at Bluebell Wood
AN “EXTRAORDINARY garden of comfort and solace” that made its debut at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show now in the process of planting roots at its forever home.
The Greenfingers Charity presented the ‘Together Garden’, created by Phil Hirst and Joanne Charlton, at the major national event at the Rotherham stately home earlier this year.
Visitors to the show experienced its immersive, serene planting and thoughtful layout, all designed to inspire reflection, connection and comfort.
Curving timber benches provide spaces to pause and sit together and a bespoke canopy offers shelter, while two sculptural forms evoke hands held together.
Since the show came to an end Greenfingers, the landscape contractors and the design team have been working tirelessly to carefully move the plants and elements of the garden so it can become a permanent fixture at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in North Anston.
Its new home is outside one of the hospice’s end-of-life bedrooms providing a peaceful space for families to make memories and find moments of solace.
Heidi Hawkins, chief executive of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, said: “Having a beautiful, tranquil and welcoming outdoor space for our families to spend time together and reflect when they’re going through incredibly difficult circumstances is so important.
“The impact that the garden will have cannot be underestimated.
“We are enormously grateful to everyone involved in making this happen.
Linda Petrons, director of fundraising and communications at Greenfingers Charity, said: “From its moving debut at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse to its new forever home at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, the Together Garden embodies everything Greenfingers stands for – compassion, creativity, and connection through nature.
“We are truly grateful to designer Phil Hirst, co-creator Joanne Charlton, Jus Landscapes and everyone whose hands and hearts helped bring this vision to life.”
Phil said: “It was a real privilege to be asked by Greenfingers to design a garden for Bluebell Wood.
“Working alongside Joanne Charlton brought fresh perspectives, and despite the sensitive nature of the project, the process has been incredibly rewarding.
“Showing the garden at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse gave us a rare opportunity to share that story with the public and we are very proud to see it begin to take root and blossom in its forever home.”