The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden

In May 2024, working with Katherine Holland, we built our second Chelsea garden: The Sue Ryder Grief Kind Garden. We were absolutely thrilled to receive a Gold medal for the garden.

Helping bring Katherine’s amazing garden to life was one of our moments. The garden had a strong connection to Katherine’s own experiences of grief and has been relocated to the Sue Ryder Hospice, where it will live on and help with people’s experiences of grief for many years to come.

At the heart of the garden, there is a welcoming seating area with three chairs set around a coffee table, highlighting the importance of starting conversations around grief with others.

Designed as a safe and peaceful sanctuary where people can sit within the beauty of nature, the garden has now been relocated in its entirety to the Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice in Bedford. Elements of the garden were inspired by this permanent location in Bedford, with the area’s lacemaking heritage reflected in the choice of some of the ‘lace-like’ plants. The garden will provide a dedicated space for reflection and grieving, benefiting patients and their loved ones, staff, volunteers, and the local community. It is designed to be fully accessible for wheelchairs and hospital beds.