Kate goes wild in Chelsea . . .

Duchess creates magical woodland garden to boost mental wellbeing

WITH a den made of branches, a treehouse and a swing, it is a magical space filled with the spirit of adventure and play.

It’s just the sort of enchanting garden a young parent might want for their children – and it’s no surprise to discover it has been designed by a proud mother- of- three: the Duchess of Cambridge.

As drawings unveiled today show, Kate’s creation for the Chelsea Flower Show is a funfilled paradise inspired by childhood memories of spending time in the great outdoors. The Duchess created her ‘Back to Nature’ garden with Andrée Davies and Adam White from Davies White Landscape Architects, and the Royal Horticultural Society. Other members of the Royal Family are understood to have contributed ideas.

To go on show at Chelsea in May, the garden will ‘highlight the benefits of the natural world on our mental and physical wellbeing’, according to Kensington Palace. The aim is to ‘get people back to nature’ and encourage them ‘to create new experiences in the great outdoors’.

Every feature has its purpose: tree stumps, stepping stones and a hollow l og will hone children’s balance, strength and co- ordination, while f orest scents and edible fruit and veg plants will engage the senses.

Inspired by a bird’s nest, the treehouse is clad in stag horn oak. A sense of adventure is also evoked by a campfire.

A waterfall and stream ‘provide another sensory opportunity, for children to paddle in and play imaginatively’.

Last week, at an engagement to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, Kate spoke of her children – George, five, Charlotte, three, and baby Louis – enjoying the outside world. Showing a family photo, she told schoolchildren: ‘These are my children and this is my husband. And my family makes me feel happy. And we like playing outside together and spending lots of time together.’

Much of the exhibit will be donated to a mental health trust after the show. SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE: Kate plays outside in 1985, when she was three

MUCKING IN: Kate chats with her design team. Above: One of their drawings of the garden