The Greenfingers Charity iwill be making its debut at the forthcoming RHS Wentworth Woodhouse Flower Show (16-20 July), where it will present the Together Garden – a deeply meaningful and beautifully designed show garden created by Phil Hirst and Joanne Charlton.
Show visitors will be invited to see the garden in full bloom, experiencing its immersive, serene planting and thoughtful layout, all designed to inspire reflection, connection and comfort. Curving timber benches provide spaces to pause and sit together and a bespoke canopy offers shelter. Two sculptural forms evoke hands held together. But its story doesn’t end there. After the show, the plants and elements of the garden will be carefully relocated to Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice in Sheffield, where they will be reimagined as a permanent garden outside one of the hospice’s bereavement suites and a peaceful space for families to make memories and find moments of solace.
Speaking ahead of the show, Linda Petrons, Director of Fundraising & Communications at Greenfingers Charity, said: “We are incredibly excited to be part of RHS Wentworth Woodhouse for the very first time. It’s a fantastic platform to raise awareness of the work we do, and to introduce even more people to the power of gardens in creating comfort and connection during life’s most challenging moments. We’re so grateful to Pentola – our generous sponsors of this garden – without them, this project simply wouldn’t have been possible. We’re looking forward to seeing the Together Garden come to life at the show and then go on to transform the hospice space into something truly special.”
At the heart of the Together Garden is a unique design brief: to create a space not for children, but specifically for bereaved parents and loved ones. For designer Phil Hirst, the emotional depth of the project brought new creative challenges. He said: “It was a real privilege to be asked by Greenfingers to design a garden for Bluebell Wood. Many of the charity’s gardens are centred around children, but this time the focus was different – to offer parents and families a space to process grief and find comfort. Working alongside Joanne Charlton brought fresh perspectives, and despite the sensitive nature of the project, the process has been incredibly rewarding. Showing the garden at RHS Wentworth gives us a rare opportunity to share that story with the public before it takes root in its forever home.”
That forever home, at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, is one already known for its much-loved outdoor spaces, something that will be further enriched by the addition of the Together Garden.
Samantha Wood, Income Generation & Communications Director at the hospice, shared her enthusiasm by saying: “We love our gardens at Bluebell Wood, and we’re so excited to be part of such a unique and heartfelt project. Seeing the garden debut at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse will be a proud moment but knowing it will become part of our own grounds is even more special. It will be a tranquil space for families to enjoy for years to come – somewhere peaceful and comforting, that our staff and volunteers will care for with pride. We’re so grateful to Greenfingers Charity for choosing us.”
Adding to this, Heidi Hawkins, Chief Executive of Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice,reflected on the deeper significance of the garden’s arrival. She said: “Having a beautiful, tranquil and welcoming outdoor space for our families to spend time together and reflect when they’re going through incredibly difficult circumstances is so important. The impact that the garden will have when it arrives at our hospice cannot be underestimated. We are enormously grateful to everyone involved in making this happen. It’s wonderful to see the designs come to life at Wentworth Woodhouse, and we’re looking forward to welcoming the garden to Bluebell Wood, where it will benefit babies, children, young adults and their families during end-of-life care.”
Find out more
To see the Together Garden come to life alongside the Greenfingers Charity at RHS Wentworth Woodhouse, be sure to grab your tickets today. Visit www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-flower-show-wentworth-woodhouse
To find out more about Greenfingers Charity, and how to get involved in a range of fundraising events please visit www.greenfingerscharity.org.uk. You can also join in the conversation by joining Greenfingers on social media - https://www.facebook.com/Greenfingerscharity/, @GreenfingersCha on Twitter, and @Greenfingerscharity on Instagram and LinkedIn.
