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The ‘Thrive Reflective Mind’ Garden
By garden designer Richard Rogers. The health and wellbeing benefits of gardens were being celebrated in a specially designed garden at RHS Chatsworth - one of the country’s most prestigious flower shows.
The garden was unveiled as part of a new Mindfulness Gardens category at the show, and won a Silver-Gilt medal.
Designer Richard Rogers created the Reflective Mind garden which aimed to highlight how gardens can help people with their mental health and wellbeing and provides a peaceful sanctuary where its owners can retreat, relax and meditate. Richard’s striking design incorporated sculpture, a large infinity pool, sunken seating area, as well as trees, hedging and several hundred plants.
A focal point of the garden was a 1.8-metre high face, sculptured from bronze, created by Simon Gudgeon. Positioned against a background of trees and planting, it aims to evoke feelings of calm while reinforcing the link between nature and wellbeing. The statue is reflected in an infinity pool representing how mindfulness practice enables us to step back and observe our own thoughts and feelings.
The view of the statue is deliberately obscured from some angles by three multi stem Prunus Serrula trees, creating a feeling of seclusion and representing the way in which the filters of our own experiences and expectations does not always allow us to see reality clearly.
Richard Rogers said, `With the increasing busyness and pressures of everyday life, the value of taking time out is so important. In this garden, the design and the planting will all invite the visitor to stop, pause and reflect.
Plant list:
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NEW: Add this plant list to your own 'plants I want' list:
If you wish to keep this plant list for future reference, copy the list below and use our multi-plant add (see a video explaining how to use this new feature) to upload all the plants in one-click to your own wish list:
Actaea simplex (Atropurpurea Group) 'Brunette'
Anemone 'Wild Swan'
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
Aruncus 'Horatio'
Astrantia major subsp. involucrata 'Shaggy'
Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
Bupleurum rotundifolium bronze-leaved
Carpinus betulus
Digitalis lanata 'Cafe Creme'
Dryopteris erythrosora
Epimedium x perralchicum 'Frohnleiten'
Eschscholzia californica 'Ivory Castle'
Foeniculum vulgare 'Purpureum'
Geum 'Mai Tai'
Hosta (Tardiana Group) 'Halcyon'
Hosta sieboldiana 'Bressingham Blue'
Lupinus 'Masterpiece'
Melica uniflora f. albida
Monarda bradburyana 'Maramek'
Nectaroscordum siculum
Prunus serrula
Rosa 'Amber Abundance'
Stipa gigantea
Thalictrum 'Elin'
X Heucherella 'Kimono'
About Thrive:
Gardening-for health charity Thrive uses plants and gardens in a process known as Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) to help improve people’s physical and mental health, as well as communication and thinking skills. STH also uses the garden as a safe and secure place to develop clients’ social interaction, as well as life skills that will help them live more independently.
Thrive has three centres in Birmingham, London and near Reading where hundreds of client gardeners come to take part in programmes. Horticultural Therapists work with people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, autism, long-term illness and those with poor mental health.
About Richard Rogers:
Richard runs Richard Rogers Designs which works across the Cotswolds, Chilterns, London and the Home Counties.
He studied at the London College of Garden Design based at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where he graduated with distinction and then went on to work for a leading landscape design and build company, gaining valuable experience of the industry, before setting up his own studio.
Richard has a strong belief in the health and wellbeing benefits of gardens and green space and is a Thrive trustee.
Sponsors:
The garden was supported by: To the Fairest fragrances, Simon Gudgeon Sculpture, London Stone, Instant Hedges and Europlanters
Designed by Richard Rogers