The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden

RHS CHELSEA GOLD MEDAL WINNER 2024
“The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden is a safe and peaceful sanctuary to sit within the beauty of nature, whilst sharing experiences of grief, or having a moment of quiet reflection” rhs
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Chelsea Flower Show 2024

In May 2024 working with House and Garden’s rising star, designer Katherine Holland, we built our second Chelsea garden: The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden. We were absolutely thrilled to receive a Gold medal for the garden.

This was one of the proudest moments of our career and we were delighted to help bring Katherine’s amazing garden to life. The garden had a strong connection to Katherine’s own experiences of grief and has been relocated to the Sue Ryder Hospice, where it will live on and help with people's experiences of grief for many years to come.

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"My own experiences of grief showed me how misunderstood it can be. I want grief to be talked about more openly, to help support those who are grieving and those who are close to them. I hope the garden will bring comfort and beauty to those who need it most." Katherine Holland, Garden Designer

SUE RYDER

As the leading bereavement charity in the UK, Sue Ryder supports people through the most difficult times of their lives. It aims to make sure everyone approaching the end of their life or living with grief can access the support they need. It provides free, expert care to those affected by life-changing illnesses, so that no one has to face dying or grief alone.

The garden was inspired by Sue Ryder’s Grief Kind campaign and its Grief Kind Spaces. The aim is to treat grief with kindness and to make people feel less isolated with their own grief and also to promote positivity when talking about grief.

Chelsea Flower Shows 2024
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DESIGN ELEMENTS OF THE GARDEN

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.

Plants were chosen for their sensory qualities and 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.

RELOCATION

Designed as a safe and peaceful sanctuary where people can sit within the beauty of nature, the garden has now been relocated in its entirety to the Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford. Elements of the garden were inspired by this permanent location in Bedford, with the area’s lacemaking heritage reflected in the choice of some of the ‘lace-like’ plants. The garden will provide a dedicated space for reflection and grieving, benefiting patients and their loved ones, staff, volunteers, and the local community. It is designed to be fully accessible for wheelchairs and hospital beds.
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Chelsea Flower Shows 2023

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