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A landscape architect’s experience of Chelsea Flower Show 2018 (PART_4)

These three very special gardens of the Chelseas Flower Show 2018, were featured this year on the NeuroLandscape blog:

  1. Feel good garden
  2. Morgan Stanley garden
  3. Lemon Tree Garden

They are a great source of information and inspiration on how to create healthy space through the landscape design, right selection of plants, materials, textures and shapes. This year, the dominant color palette were  definitely different shades of purple. This colour has a powerful impact not only on our mood but also behaviors. It calms and soothes, silences and regenerates the nervous system, enhances creativity and spirituality. It’s best for relaxation. Blues and greens create a calming atmosphere as well.

As a landscape architect, through  visiting this year’s Chelsea gardens I got inspired by some design strategies to create a space that has a positive effect on our well-being and mental health:

  • cool – toned colors of the plants and materials that have a calming and relaxing effect on people’s state of mind (whites, pinks, purples and blues),
  • variety of plants – next to ornamental plants we should remember about aromatic herbs, evergreen species, perennials and grasses, which provides variety of textures during whole year,
  • encouraging wildlife – observing birds can make us more happy and relaxed,
  • creating an interesting route and/or something beautiful to look at and focus on, which will help to forget about everyday stress and problems.

I am very glad that such prestigious show like Chelsea provides people a great opportunity to explore solutions to some of the actual most pressing not only environmental but also social and economic challenges. This year’s gardens are great, healthy places that make people feel very comfortable and at ease, offer spaces that increase social interaction, reduce stress, antisocial behavior and isolation. Luckily, the community awareness of how the public health can be enhanced by increasing access to green and blue space and improving the quality of our natural environment is a growing trend.

We are more and more involved in issues related to green areas in places where we live, ready to fight for better, greener cities to live in and enjoy in the harmony with nature. We look to the future with hope that it will be possible to prevent or slow down the progress of many diseases related to our mental health, looking beyond traditional treatments and medicines, through a range of activities, including gardening and spending time in a high quality, healthy and sustainable green spaces.

lemon tree garden

Mental health at the refugees camp @ Chelsea Flower Show 2018 (PART_3)

One of many Chelsea Flower Show Gardens that deserves special attention is The Lemon Tree Garden, which directly referred to the issue of mental health. Inspired by the resilience, originality and determination of refugees living in Domiz camp in Northern Iraq was designed with their involvement and highlights the unexpected beauty and power hidden in the refugee camps. Designer aimed to show how plants can improve people’s wellbeing.

The traditional Islamic style was kept by star shaped water feature, radiating water rills and elaborate metal and wood fretwork screens. Channels of water provide fresh, cooling atmosphere, representing at the same time the importance of reused grey water in the Iraq’s camps. Very simple materials that can be found in real camp such as concrete and steel, were used  . Food plants were placed in cans and recycled plastic bottles attached to a very interesting “innovation wall”.

The planting included the pomegranate trees, figs, single roses, alliums, dazzling blue flowered Anchusa, the impressive lemon tree as well as herbs used in Middle Eastern cooking. These fragrant herbs could have a great impact on mind and mood. All these are reminders of refugees homeland. Resting between them make us more relaxed and smiley.

People in camps create gardens and take care of them with aim to provide food but also to keep themselves in good mental and physical condition. Possibility of growing and taking care of plants, herbs, vegetables is a great chance to socialize what means it improves social functioning and emotional well-being. The garden with its amazing plants can be the gate to escape from cruel reality , bring the solace and positive energy.  The garden is a place that no matter where you are, you can relate to.

The Lemon Tree Trust supports and encourages the refugees to build camp gardens where they can grow food, create sense of beauty; seek and promote, a very important,  community well-being and identity.

Morg Stanley 1

My Favorite Garden of Chelsea Flower Show 2018 (PART_2)

At the Chelsea Flower Show 2018 my number one garden was designed to raise awareness of the NSPCC’s work – UK’s leading children’s charity, preventing abuse and helping those affected to recover. The Morgan Stanley Garden’s design is a metaphor for the emotional transformation of the child who experiences the positive influence of the NSPCC’s work. At the same time garden presents the space where these children, often suffering from anxiety, phobias, neurosis, feelings of guilt and shame, isolation, depression and stress with reduced self-esteem, can feel good and safe.

The garden attracts attention and inclines to a deeper contemplation which was not disturbed even by a huge crowd of visitors around. This is undoubtedly due to the proper selection of wide variety of plant species, materials, the play of lights, applied simple forms and shapes.

At the entrance to the garden the direction of the path in the woodland is unclear. Heading more into it, we have possibility to rest in more open and tranquil space, filled with soft, textured perennials. In the middle of the garden we have a very nice pavilion made of warm-toned cedar. A pretty simple construction with moving walls where views toward the safe sensory environment are not blocked. Therefore, it provides greater sense of space, freedom and security. Sense of peace and calm is provided by L-shaped canal and reflective nature of water which with its soothing effect could not be missed here.

Our concentration can focus on very interesting sculptures including a Kinetic Art Table or leaf-shaped sculpture in the water canal. A very characteristic element of the garden that affects its character are the walls surrounding the water channel. Made of verdigris porcelain tile, with perfect color and very artistic appearance they are a beautiful and original combination with water and create the refraction of sunlight.

The garden includes a range of acid-loving plants (a lot of herbaceous, ferns, shrubs: Enkianthus, Rhododendron, that display subtle textures, and there are splashes of blues, pinks and purples which together with deep shade of green are the dominant colors here. Trees take in the garden center stage what provides the touch of it’s maturity. Species like Betula nigra and Amelanchier seem to be a perfect choice. Massive leaves of Hosta sp. bring a great sense of visual drama.