Wellbeing Garden to be horticultural haven
Anew demonstration garden at the RHS’ yet-to-be opened new venue near Manchester will focus on improving health.
The Wellbeing Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater, Salford, will contain three distinct zones: a reflective space using woodland plants, such as birch, hazel, ferns and spring bulbs surrounded by beech hedges for seclusion; a growing space, with raised planters to aid easier cultivation and a meeting and moving space, with plants that evoke memory and past experiences, such as dahlias, thornless roses and aster. There will also be an activity space for music, crafts, yoga and meditation.
Sat within an historic 11-acre Walled Garden, the design, by RHS Horticultural Projects manager Ben Brace, is the result of six months’ consultation with more than 20 organisations, including health and social care providers and charities, and will become a focus of the NHS social prescribing programme.
Around 75 individuals will also have the chance to improve their health by helping create the Wellbeing Garden, as well as the wider landscape. A Therapeutic Gardener is currently being appointed, with staff and partners trained in horticultural therapy. RHS Garden Bridgewater is set to open in 2020.