About the garden

The garden will be a space for reflection and mindful retreat. Using ancient crafting techniques and inspired by the landscape surrounding the Primrose Hospice & Family Support Centre Hospice garden, ‘St Godwald’s Retreat’ transports us to a space removed from modern life.

Within the wattle and daub gazebo sits a ‘wind telephone’ – the telephone is connected to nowhere and everywhere at the same time. An opportunity to speak with a loved one that has passed, or a chance to say words unspoken, the wind carrying these words out through the stone portal and into the world beyond.

A memory tree from the Hospice carries the names and stories of loved ones, with a mindful labyrinth tracing its way underneath and formed with scented herbs. Within the wildflower glade beyond, a space for meditation or just to lie and be surrounded by the sounds of nature.

The garden is punctuated by textured standing stones, inspired by the prehistoric landscape of Brittany that St Godwald knew centuries ago.

Who or what is the design inspiration for the garden?

The landscape surrounding the Hospice garden in Worcestershire and the historic life of St Godwald.

Who is this garden for?

The garden has been designed for Primrose Hospice & Family Support Centre in Bromsgrove – the garden will be relocated to their grounds later this year for patients, friends and families to use.

About the Charity

The Hospice not only looks after people with life-limiting illnesses, but also adults and children facing bereavement. The Hospice garden is always open for anybody to come and sit, taking time to remember their loved ones. By incorporating the ‘wind telephone’ concept, we are creating a place of peace where the phone can be used by individuals to reflect and talk to their loved ones who have sadly died. We hope the garden will help raise awareness of the vital work Primrose Hospice does across North East Worcestershire.

Where is the garden set?

Rural Worcestershire

Key take away from the garden

Ancient crafting techniques and materials still have a place in gardens today – considering these as alternatives can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of creating and altering gardens.

Highlights or themes to notice/know

The ‘wind telephone’ sits within the wattle and daub gazebo. This is originally a Japanese concept but has spread across the world. The telephone is not physically connected and won’t ever ring, but it gives people a chance to spend time with their thoughts and words. It is connected to nowhere and everywhere at the same time. A chance to speak with a loved one who has passed away or say the words we never had the chance to.

The gazebo is constructed with wattle and daub, an ancient building technique used for millennia. The outer layer is formed with a lime render mixed with hemp and stained with yellow ochre pigment.

The ‘gravel’ used around the labyrinth is made from crushed whelk shells from Wales – these are a by-product from the whelk fishing industry and would otherwise go to waste. The inventor of the product also make a finer mulch from whelk shells that discourages slug damage.

Topical or newsworthy elements within the garden

The garden will create a conversation around death and hospice care, hopefully raising awareness for how hospice care is funded and interacts with the NHS. The ‘wind telephone’ is relatively new in the UK but they are becoming more widespread.

The construction methods of the garden, including the use of recycled aggregates and reclaimed stone will help to reduce the carbon footprint of the build. This could raise awareness of the impact new garden design has on the environment.

Current or upcoming gardening trends in the design

The garden is as conscious as possible of the carbon footprint and environmental impact on the environment. There is no newly-created metal in the garden apart from the nails holding up the gazebo. Any other metal is reclaimed or repurposed. All of the stone is reclaimed and is not freshly quarried for the garden.

Where will the garden be relocated?

The entire garden will be relocated to the Primrose Hospice garden in Bromsgrove.

Sustainability

Hard landscaping is kept to a minimum to allow as much natural rainfall drainage as possible. Crushed whelk shells are used as pathways and the stepping stones are created from reclaimed stone.

Planting is created with native species that are adapted to the UK environment. They are mixed species so that if one species suffers from extreme weather, the other species can take over and fill any gaps.

Crushed whelk shells are used as pathways and mulch in one half of the garden. The remaining planting beds are mulched with bark chippings to reduce water evaporation.

Rainwater is collected from the gazebo roof into a trough at the side. The rainwater can then be used to water the planting beds

Sustainable building methods, materials or technologies used to help minimise the garden’s environmental impact

As well as no newly-created metal featuring in the garden, its construction methods, including the use of recycled aggregates and reclaimed stone will help to reduce the carbon footprint of the build. This could raise awareness of the impact new garden design has on the environment.

The gazebo is made from hazel wattle and daub, made from hemp-based lime render and limewashed with an organic yellow ochre pigment.

The ‘gravel’ used around the labyrinth is made from crushed whelk shells from Wales – these are a by-product from the whelk fishing industry and would otherwise go to waste. The inventor of the product also make a finer mulch from whelk shells that discourages slug damage.

Ways the garden promotes environmental responsibility /sustainability

The garden uses as many natural, unprocessed products as possible therefore helping to reduce the environmental impact, focusing on how materials can be reclaimed such as the stone archway and stepping stones. The timber used for the fencing is grown from managed woodland in the UK rather than from imported timber. These elements combined may encourage visitors to look at where materials are sourced from the help lessen the environmental impact.

The planting is primary based on native UK species that are adapted to our environment.

Sustainable water management

• Environmentally sensitive use of hard landscaping
• Resilient planting design (to cope with increased climatic extremes)
• Drought-tolerant planting with soil amendment (such as gravel/rock gardens, mulching)
• Rain or grey-water harvesting, storage and re-use

Plants

1000 individual plants plus the wildflower and species rich turf will be in the garden.

New or statement plants

As well as native flowers and grasses creating the feel of a wildflower glade, the planting beds use a variety of species with decorative foliage. As the garden is set within a Hospice setting, there may not be time available for a plant to develop and flower. Instead, we want to introduce colour and texture with the foliage instead. This also means there is interest all year round.

The garden features a selection of plants that have historic medicinal use such as lungwort, camomile and thyme. This links back to the ancient crafting techniques used in the garden such as the wattle and daub gazebo.

 Five key plants 

• Pulmonaria ‘Sissinghurst White’ (lungwort) – this variety is an early-flowering perennial so is a great food source for pollinators early in the year. Pulmonaria was used as an ancient medicine for the treatment of lung infections.
• Thymus citriodorus (lemon thyme) – a sweet-scented herb that lifts your senses. Thyme oil has been used in medicine and cosmetics for centuries, with antibacterial properties.
• Anthriscus sylvestris (cow parsley) – a delicate flower that creates clouds of white in the wildflower meadow, important in folklore to bring good luck to the home
• Primula vulgaris (primrose) – the symbol of Primrose Hospice, a bright and cheery welcome after long winters
• Sorbus aucuparia (rowan) – the hardworking rowan tree is brilliant for wildlife, providing habitats and a food-source for many species. The rowan features throughout English folklore, one use being to drive cattle onto pasture for the first time to ensure fertility and good health.

Unsung plant heroes of the gardening world

Many of the native species like Anthriscus sylvestris and Pulmonaria are often considered to be ‘weeds’ in the UK, despite them being part of the mosaic of species essential for wildlife to thrive. Unlike many imported species, these unsung heroes have adapted for millennia to thrive here.

The designer wanted to show that these species should be part of the wider planting scheme for every garden as it will result in a more resilient and nature-supporting habitat.

Edible plants

Thymus citriodorus (lemon thyme), Thymus praecox (creeping thyme), Thymus vulgaris (common thyme) and Chamaemelum nobile (common chamomile)

Plant Suppliers

Lindum Turf is supplying the wildflower and species rich turf. They have been chosen for their extensive experience in supplying RHS Shows.

Fullbrook Nursery are supplying the majority of perennial plants. They have been chosen because of their connections with dozens of growers.

ReadyHedge are supplying the native hedgerow around the perimeter of the garden. They have been chosen because of their experience of RHS Shows and the quality of their plants.

Plant lists are provided by the designer of the garden as a guide to the plants they hope to use in the garden based on the time of year, the location and the client brief. The plants that feature at the Festival depends on a variety of factors such as weather during the growing season and availability. While the designers try to update lists where possible, the accuracy of the list cannot be guaranteed.

About the designer

Born and raised in Birmingham, Marc Harbourne-Bessant developed an awareness of the importance of staying outdoors while working at a retreat centre. There, he learned valuable skills from the gardeners and volunteers that looked after the grounds. After that experience, he decided to start a career in garden design and landscaping and in 2020 he co-founded F.B & Sons, Lawns and Landscapes with his husband Darryl, brother-in-law Lee and sister-in-law Lisa. The RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2025 marks Marc’s first appearance at an RHS Show.

What are the advantages of designing a garden at the show?

Marc says, “When I design a garden, I always try to include reclaimed and recycled materials wherever possible, as well as scented and textural plants to stimulate all of our senses. Creating and looking after gardens gives me a great sense of achievement, especially when I see the client’s health and wellbeing improve. With this show garden, I’ll also create a legacy for Primrose Hospice.”