Student’s top design
Horticultural things that have caught our eye this week...
Anew wellbeing garden at Kings College, Guildford, is open to the public following a design competition won by an RHS diploma student. Emma Leaper was among a cohort of students completing the RHS diploma in horticultural practice course who were tasked with designing a garden that prioritised wellbeing, helped build community connections and inspired users to take time away from busy lives, while also transforming an existing disused space for the college.
Her ‘Lifecycle Garden’ incorporates soft, sensory planting with trees to provide shade and room for people to relax and socialise. The design also makes use of drought-tolerant plants and features, such as a long grass meadow and fruit trees in the Wildlife Grove. Emma said: “The Lifecycle Garden is a free-flowing, dynamic space for learning and growing together. Young people can use the Growing Lab, visit the Sustainability Centre or relax in the Wildlife Grove. It’s a place to nurture young minds and support the emotional, physical and mental wellbeing of all”.
The school will use the garden for one-to-one sessions, outdoor classes in English, art, history and science, as a performance space for music and drama and as a hub for their Gardening Club and Eco Group. The garden will also be used by students at Guildford Grove Primary School, the Lighthouse (a specialist centre for deaf children), the Fountain Centre (which supports patients at Royal Surrey Hospital living with cancer and their families) and the local Hive community centre.