A Garden for Huntercombe Hospital

At Lavender Green Flowers we are hugely proud of the ethos we have built as a company, of which sustainability lies at the core. Looking beyond the creation of beautiful flower arrangements, we all at Lavender Green Flowers take a passionate interest in the company’s social conscience and what it can give back to the environment, as well as the wider community. With that in mind, the florists and extended team have embarked on an incredible new project to build a therapeutic and educational garden for patients at Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead, a Children and Adolescent Mental Health Centre in Taplow (CAMHS).

A facility for children between the ages of 12 and 18, Huntercombe Hospital provides support for patients with wide variety of mental illnesses, a cause we at Lavender Green Flowers care deeply about. Evidence of the physical, social and physiological benefits that gardens provide patients battling with mental health issues has been proven by medical research over the years. So with the florists’s knowledge and expertise, we are creating this garden with the hope that it will bring positivity to all.

Huntercombe Manor, the building in which the hospital was founded in 1997, has an incredible history with reference to its garden and flowers. After many years as a royal residence, a famous author called Eleanor Vere Boyle moved into Huntercombe Manor with her family in 1871 where she re-created the magnificent garden to its former glory. It was in Huntercombe Manor where Eleanor turned to writing and illustrating gardening books that she became well-known for.

Huntercombe Manor, built approx. 14th Century                                                      Huntercombe Hospital, Present Day

The plan is to breathe life back into the garden and restore its beauty by filling it with an abundance of raised flower beds, fruit trees and a kitchen garden allotment. As well as becoming a sanctuary to encourage healing, comfort and positive social exchange for patients and staff, the therapeutic garden will also be used for educational purposes.

“We are hugely grateful to Lavender Green Flowers for redeveloping our garden. They are reawakening an ancient site so that both our young people and staff from all over the hospital can enjoy being in this area. We are looking forward to using the garden to teach in as well as it being a peaceful ‘secret garden’ to take a break in,” says Angela Hudgell, Education Manager at Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead.

Patients will be introduced to native wildlife and learn how to grow flowers to turn into beautiful bouquets for their visitors. Art classes are to be held in the garden, along with horticultural lessons to give the patients a wider range of educational activities. A high proportion of patients at Huntercombe Hospital suffer from eating disorders, so Lavender Green Flowers will work closely with an on-site chef to maintain a large allotment growing fruit and vegetables, which patients can then harvest and cook, with the aim of encouraging a healthier relationship with food.

(Purple Loosestrife)                                                   (Water Forget-Me-Not)                                                             (Marsh Marigold)

A large part of the Huntercombe Garden plan includes restoring the existing pond. It is well known that water has a psychologically restorative effect; spending time in and around aquatic environments has consistently been shown to lead to positive moods and reduce negativity and stress.

We are thrilled to be working alongside Land & Water, which uses and provides environmentally stable systems to kick-start the natural habitat and biodiversity when undergoing a project such as this. The oxygenating plants in the pond will keep the water quality clear, while the plants above the water will provide a sensory element for the patients.

Our florists will help to maintain the garden on a seasonal basis and offer advice on its upkeep after completion, ensuring that Huntercombe Hospital Garden will flourish into something magnificent and hugely beneficial.

The hope is that this garden will be a place where patients can spend peaceful time with their families in a safe and calm environment, further boosting their wellbeing. By bringing this garden to life, Lavender Green Flowers looks forward to the start of a long and beautiful relationship with Huntercombe Hospital.

“We all fell in love with the garden at first sight”, says Harry Barnes of Lavender Green Flowers.  “Peeling back the trailing ivy at the hidden entrance, we could tell from the overgrown rare plant specimens that it had so much potential! We really hope the children and staff at Huntercombe Hospital Maidenhead get lots of enjoyment from it in the years to come; be it from the smells of flowers, the pond and water feature, growing and nurturing herbs and vegetables (plus eating them), learning about how to grow and care for things, playing table tennis or relaxing on a bench whilst watching the wildlife that the garden supports. I’m really looking forward to going back in spring.”

Lavender Green Flowers is renowned as one of London’s finest florists, with over 28 years’ experience producing flowers for the country’s top galleries, museums and historic houses. From weddings and receptions to private parties and corporate events, thoughtfully crafted arrangements and installations take inspiration from the latest trends in floristry, fashion and art.

To make an enquiry, call 020 7127 5303, email [email protected] or visit the Chelsea flower shop at 46 Fulham Road, London SW3 6HH