The power of the garden’s ability to create a safe and peaceful sanctuary was recognised in the form of a prestigous gold medal. It will now be relocated to Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford.
Katherine wins a gold medal
Katherine said: “I’m absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured to receive this medal for the Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden. This garden holds a very special place in my heart as it embodies the type of space I felt I needed when I was grieving, which I know will resonate with so many.
“Creating this space has been a labour of love, intended to offer solace and reflection to those navigating a bereavement, whilst encouraging open conversations around grief. This recognition is testament to all the team’s hard work and dedication. It’s been a privilege to be able to highlight the important work that Sue Ryder does in providing support to people experiencing grief.
I hope the garden will bring comfort and beauty to those who need it most. Thank you to everyone involved in bringing this garden together and to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for this incredible honour.
Katherine Holland, designer of our Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden
A place of solace
“At the RHS Hampton Court Show, we found so many people connected with the space and shared their stories of grief with us, highlighting a real need to discuss it,” says Katherine Holland, the award-winning garden designer behind our Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden.
“So, for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, I really wanted to build upon the conversations we started about grief using the medium of plants. I hope the Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden will encourage people to have these very important conversations around grief, whilst surrounded by nature and see it as a place of solace to help to learn to live with grief.”
A lasting legacy
Now the show is complete, the garden will be relocated in its entirety to Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford.
Its new location will provide a long-lasting legacy, as a dedicated space for grieving and reflection. It will be able to accommodate varying mobility needs and will offer a place of solace for hospice staff, patients, their families and the local community.
Katherine used her own experience of grief to create a garden that offers comfort to others.
At the heart of the garden, there is a welcoming seating area with three chairs set around a coffee table, highlighting the importance of starting conversations around grief with others.
During the show, there was a display of personal objects symbolising loved ones who have died.
To ensure year-round interest, the garden contains a carefully selected range of sensory shrubs and plants including:
- Nepeta
- Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Sweet Winter’
There are also several unusual specimen trees, including:
- Heptacodium miconioides AGM, which has deep green foliage and pretty clusters of scented flowers in late summer.
- A multi-stemmed form of Tilia henryana, with textural leaves and fragrant flowers.
The design has been influenced by its forever home at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, Bedford. Bedfordshire’s historic lace production has influenced the organic forms used in the laser-cut sandstone paving and in the selection of plants and trees, such as:
- Molopospermum peloponnesiacum (striped hemlock), with its delicate lace-like leaves.
- Frangula alnus (syn. Rhamnus frangula) ‘Asplenifolia’ with its fine filigree foliage.
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