Silver Gilt medal garden by Marney Hall and Heather Yarrow. A dreamy, peaceful garden planted with species chosen for their calming and soporific properties, the 4Head Garden of Dreams illustrates the stress-relieving properties of plants. The garden promotes the role of Mentha x piperata in 4Head as an effective natural treatment for headaches.
Garden Description
This garden is set in
secluded, tranquil woodland and protected by a thorny hedge from
harsh realities beyond. A small brook emerges from shaded tree
roots to meander through a sunlit glade towards a large central
pool, which surrounds an island. On the island is a stunning
'living' sculpture, which is a dreaming girl composed of mud,
twigs, grasses and plants. The dreaming girl is inspired by the
famous 'Mudmaid' from the Lost Gardens of Heligan and created by
her sculptors, Sue Hill and Peter Hill of the Eden Project.
The pool is bordered by open meadow, with profuse use
of plants selected for the calming properties of their perfume and
their subdued colours. With plants such as vervain, borage, lavender and chamomile, the palette is limited
to blues, mauves, white, the palest of yellows and green.
Many of the herbs that will be used in this garden are known to possess medicinal benefits. Herb
Robert (Geranium
robertianum) has calming properties, wild marjoram (Origanum
vulgare) will lift spirits and calm nerves and mugwort
(Artemisia vulgaris) is a
mild anaesthetic and is used to induce sleep.
Plant list: (click on any of the green below to read more about the plant and to add to your own 'Plants I want' list)
Flower beds
Angelica - Angelica
archangelica - Nervous headache
Bergamot - Monarda fistulosa - Lifts depression
Borage - Borago
officinalis - Calming
Catnip - Nepeta cataria - Dreams (hallucinogenic)
Evening primrose - Oenothera
biennis - Calming, lifts depression
Fennel - Foeniculum
vulgaris
Feverfew - Tanacetum parthenium -
Headache
French tarragon - Artemesia dracunculus -
Induces sleep
Greater mullein - Verbascum thapsus - Analgesic and
sedative
Heartsease - Viola tricolor - Lifts the spirits 'Mends a
broken heart'
Henbane - Hyocyamus niger - Induces drowsiness, analgesic,
sedative
Hyssop - Hyssopus
officinalis - Tonic for the nervous system
Indian basil - Ocimum basilicum 'Horapha nanum' - Stress
relief
Jacob's ladder - Polemonium
caeruleum - Headache, calming
Lavender - Lavandula dentata -
Calming, induces sleep
Lemon balm - Melissa
officinalis - Lifts depression, calming
Lemon verbena - Aloysia
triphylla - Lifts the spirits
Wild marjoram - Oreganum
vulgare - Lifts the spirits, calms the nerves
Sweet marjoram - Oreganum majorana - Lifts the
spirits
Melilot - Melilotus alba - Induces sleep
Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris - Mild anaesthesia, induces
sleep
Opium poppy - Papaver
somniferum - Induces sleep and
dreams(hallucinogenic)
Rue - Ruta
graveolens - Calming
Sweet cicely - Myrrhis
odorata - Lifts the spirits
Vervain - Verbena officinalis - Induces sleep
Viper's bugloss - Echium
vulgare - Headache
Hedgebank and woodland
Angelica - Angelica
sylvestris
Aquilegia - Aquilegia vulgaris
Aquilegia - Aquilegia
'Songbird'
Bittersweet - Solanum
dulcamara - Calming
Black horehound - Ballota
nigra - Calming
Bluebells - Hyacinthoides
non-scriptus
Cow parsley - Anthriscus
sylvestris
Foxgloves - Digitalis purpurea
'Alba' - Heart disease
Gladwin iris - Iris foetidissima -
Calming
Greater stitchwort - Stellaria
holostea
Ground ivy - Glechoma
hederacea - Headache
Herb Robert - Geranium
robertianum - Calming
Honesty - Lunaria
annua 'Alba'
Ivy - Hedera helix -
Headache
Lily of the valley - Convallaria majalis - Lifts
the spirits
Mugwort - Artemesia vulgaris
- Mild anaesthesia, induces sleep
Periwinkle - Vinca major - Calming
Periwinkle - Vinca minor 'Alba' - Calming
Primrose - Primula vulgaris - Induces
sleep
Solomon's seal - Polygonatum
multiflorum
Sweet violet - Viola odorata
'Alba' - Analgesic
Sweet woodruff - Galium odoratum - Induces
sleep
Vervain - Verbena
officinalis - Nervous exhaustion, headache
Wake Robin - Trillium grandiflorum
White campion - Silene
alba
White dead nettle - Lamium
album - Lifts depression
Wild garlic - Allium ursinum
- Calming
Wood anemone - Anemone nemorosa -
Headache
Wood sage - Teucrium
scorodonia
Wood spurge - Euphorbia
amygdaloides
Ferns
Bracken - Pteridium
aquilinum - Dreams
Lady fern - Dryopteris
filix-femina
Male fern - Dryopteris filix-mas
Grasses
Snowy woodrush - Luzula
nivea
Tufted hair grass - Deschampsia
cespitosa
Pendulous sedge - Carex pendula
Wood false brome
- Brachypodium sylvaticum
Wood millet - Milium
effusum
Wood rush - Luzula
sylvatica
Wood small reed - Calamagrostis
epigeios
Trees and shrubs
Alder - Alnus glutinosa - General
tonic
Ash - Fraxinus excelsior -
Dreams
Dog rose - Rosa canina - Rose oil used as base
in many preparations
Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea
Elderberry - Sambucus nigra - Headache
Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna - Reduces blood
pressure
Hazel - Corylus avellana
Lime - Tilia
cordata - Induces sleep, calming, headache
Guelder rose - Viburnum opulus - Muscle
relaxant
Honeysuckle - Lonicera
periclymenum - Analgesic
Mistletoe - Viscum album -
Reduces blood pressure
Oak - Quercus robur
Privet - Ligustrum
vulgare - Headache
Pussy willow - Salix caprea - Analgesic
Wetland
Angelica - Angelica
archangelica - Headache, relaxing
Bergamot - Monarda
fistulosa - Lifts depression
Black peppermint - Mentha
piperita - Headache, calming
Bugle - Ajuga reptans -
Mildly narcotic
Butterburr - Petasites hybridus - Headache, calming
Deadly nightshade - Atropa bella-donna - Sedative,
narcotic
Gipsywort - Lycopus europaeus - Sedative, calming
Iris - Iris laevigata 'Snowdrift'
Meadowsweet - Filipenula ulmaria - Pain relief
Monkshood - Aconitum napellus 'Ivorine' - Induces
sleep
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis - Induces sleep
Water avens - Geum rivale
Water mint - Mentha aquatica - Lifts depression
Water soldiers - Stratiotes aloides - Calming
Greater pond sedge - Carex
riparia
Hop sedge - Carex pseudocyperus
Pendulous sedge - Carex
pendula
Reed sweet-grass - Glyceria maxima
Soft rush -
Juncus effusus
Short meadow
Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile - Headache,
calming, induces sleep
Cowslip - Primula veris - Sedative
Daisy - Bellis perennis
Heartsease - Viola tricolor
Lady's slipper - Cypripedium
calceolus var. pubescens - Relieves stress and tension
Marjoram - Origanum vulgare -
Headache
Pasque flower - Pulsatilla vulgaris - Calming
and stress relief
Red clover - Trifolium
pretense - Sedative
Salad burnet - Sanguisorba
minor - Lifts depression
Self-heal - Prunella vulgaris - General
tonic
Skullcap - Scutellaria
galericulata - Sedative
St John's wort - Hypericum perforatum -
Sedative, analgesic
White clover - Trifolium
repens - Sedative
Yarrow - Achillea
millefolium - Lowers blood pressure
Pennyroyal - Mentha
pulegium - Calming
Fescue (fine grass) - Festuca rubra
StumperyFern -
Dryopteris
filix-femina
Hops - Humulus lupulus - Induces
sleep
Honeysuckle - Lonicera
periclymenum - Pain relief
Ivy - Hedera
helix - Headache
Jasmine - Jasminium
grandiflorum
Passionflower - Passiflora caerulea -
Sedative