Emily Horton discovers a garden sanctuary at Hampton Court Flower Show reflecting the noble endeavours of a Surrey charity
A garden conceived in Surrey that inspires hope, community and refuge is being created at this month’s RHS Hampton Court Flower Show (June 30 – July 5). Horticulturalist Barbara Harfleet and her daughter-in-law, Catherine Chenery, have created the project to celebrate the work of Unique, an Oxted-based charity providing support to families suffering from rare chromosome disorders.
The design for the garden is based on Unique’s logo, a DNA strand, as Catherine explains:
“It is represented by a path that winds around the 100sqm plot. Hedges and slabs cross the path and represent the unusual losses and gains of genetic material that children with chromosome disorders inherit.”
Garden designers Catherine Chenery and Barbara Harfleet
Barbara knows how isolating the disorders can be as her granddaughter, Rose, is the only person in the world born with her type of disorder.
“The paths are deliberately narrow as they represent the isolating journey of the disorders for families having to navigate the unknown,” she explains.
Unique offers a lifeline for the family, bringing like-minded, empathetic people together. This is also represented in the garden.
“While separate, the paths are close together and intersect so the walker knows they are not alone and shares the journey with others,” she adds.
At their centre, the paths enter the heart of the garden: a seating area, with beautiful curved oak benches.
“The charity brings families and medical professionals together, so we have tried to make this a peaceful area representing the community that Unique has created for sufferers,” Catherine adds.
“The garden also features a sculpture by Patrick Hurst,” she continues, adding: “It symbolises the delicate balance of life that these families know all too well – that a tiny, seemingly inconsequential deletion of a chromosome can have such a profound effect on an human life…”
You can sponsor a plant for the Unique flower show scheme on their website
Find more garden design ideas on Charlotte Chenery's website
