Image credit: OIiver Dixon
Ula Maria’s first garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show,'Muscular Dystrophy UK - Forest Bathing Garden’, has won Gold & ‘Best Show Garden’
Her accessible, immersive forest bathing experience garden was created by planting over 50 birch trees and 4,000 plants and was designed especially for Muscular Dystrophy UK patients, their families, clinicians, and the wider community. Forest bathing, otherwise known as Shinrin-yoku, is an ancient Japanese practice of simply spending time in the forest and soaking up its atmosphere through the senses to boost mental and physical health. The knapped flint wall in the garden features a beautiful texture and form that is reminiscent of muscle cells to illustrate to visitors at the show what Muscular Dystrophy is, and the effect it has on a person’s muscles. The central path throughout the garden follows a slow-moving naturalised water stream that runs through the garden to help attract wildlife.
Credit: India Hobson
Muscular Dystrophy UK is the leading charity for more than 110,000 people in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions who are delighted to showcase their Forest Bathing garden at the world’s most prestigious flower show, which has been generously sponsored by unique grant-making charity Project Giving Back.
Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK said: "We’re over the moon to have been awarded a Gold medal and Best Show Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It’s a real honour and we’d like to say a huge well done to our garden designer Ula Maria and special thanks to Project Giving Back for their generous funding and all the team involved in the project. We’re blown away and want to dedicate these successes to everyone living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition. The stories of people in our community inspired Ula’s accessible forest bathing garden design and raising awareness of these rare conditions has been central to us being part of the show.”
Click here to learn more about the garden.
The relocation destination for the 'Muscular Dystrophy UK - Forest Bathing Garden' after the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is in the final stages of planning. The garden will be going to a location that benefits the muscle wasting and weakening community. Keep up to date with its relocation journey on our website: www.musculardystrophyuk.org/Chelsea
