Horatio's Garden wins Best in Show at Chelsea Flower Show

Designed for Horatio’s Garden, the UK-based charity that nurtures wellbeing after spinal injury in vibrant sanctuaries in NHS spinal centres, Horatio’s Garden Chelsea is an adaptive garden that puts the priorities of all those with different mobility needs at its heart.

The first garden on Chelsea’s famous main avenue that has mobility needs at its heart will be relocated to the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injuries Centre in Sheffield in 2024. It will be eight times the size of the Chelsea show garden and become the eighth and latest of the charity’s gardens at NHS spinal centres.

Dr Olivia Chapple, Founder and Chair of Trustees, Horatio’s Garden said: “To be presented with the Best in Show award feels incredible. We are so grateful to Project Giving Back for this wonderful opportunity and Harris Bugg Studio for pushing the boundaries and creating such a thoughtful, pioneering and exquisite garden. This will have such an important legacy in improving the lives of thousands of people in Sheffield and every donation helps us reach our target to make this garden a reality.”

Earlier in the day the garden was presented with a Gold Medal. Speaking about the awards, Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg from Harris Bugg Studio, said: “We are so delighted to win both a gold medal and Best in Show for this garden. From the very start, the charity’s mission really spoke to us. Connecting people with nature is at the heart of everything we do at Harris Bugg Studio and this garden reflects all the stories and needs of the people we spent months listening to before even picking up a pencil to design. This garden is a story of people coming together to make something very special. From the inspiring individuals that make up the transformative community that is Horatio’s Garden to all the dedicated and talented people that worked with us to create the garden - from the contractors to the skilled British craftspeople to the horticulturalists and planting team - the spirit of all of those people made this gold medal a reality.”

Beginning its life at Chelsea Flower Show, before being relocated to its legacy home at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, the garden is the antithesis of a busy, clinical hospital setting with every element being informed by the experiences of patients with spinal injuries.

Planting is layered to accommodate different ways of seeing, a garden room provides welcome relief from the busy ward. Smooth, cement-free terrazzo paths are patient-friendly, environmentally-friendly and aesthetically beautiful, with a 77 percent reduced carbon footprint compared to regular cement.