At a glance: A place for children with cancer to explore and find ‘magic’
Set to be relocated to Raines Retreat, the sponsor’s North Yorkshire holiday let for children affected by cancer, this garden is a place of escape for those undergoing treatment, designed by family friends Tom Clarke and Ros Coutts-Harwood. Tom, RHS Tatton Young Designer 2022, RHS Chelsea Flower Show Medallist and People’s Choice Award Winner 2024, is 25, while lawyer-turned-designer Ros celebrates her 60th birthday during the show.
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Excitement and escapism are key, so the garden has a monorail – a Chelsea first. Tom explains: “Children visiting Chelsea with the charity can get on a little cart, click a button and it’ll travel through the planting.” They’ll climb off and into ‘the Nest’; a curious structure of steam-bent hazel, inside revealing a contemporary “secret sanctuary” with clear acrylic walls allowing those within to watch the outside world without being seen. Nearby, a two-tone, geometric steel water feature allows for children to activate bubbles as they pass by.
Plants have been selected for colour, scent, texture and movement, as well as their curiosity value, such as Allium vineale ‘Hair’ and an Acer griseum with its peeling bark. “We have deep pinks and burgundies (such as Lysimachia atropurpurea ‘Beaujolais’) to evoke a sense of warmth, moving to more calming greens and whites around the Nest (Dryopteris wallichiana, Digitalis purpurea ‘Pam’s Choice’), with textured grasses and structural plants along the journey”, says Ros.
Sponsor Children with Cancer UK Contractor Big Fish Landscapes Suppliers Hortus Loci
Relocated to Raines Retreat, Children With Cancer UK’s new North Yorkshire retreat for patients and their families