Duchess of Cambridge co-designed family-friendly woodland space where people can connect with nature
The ‘Back To Nature’ garden will be officially unveiled next week at the Chelsea Flower Show in London
Kate, 37, worked with Royal Horticultural Society and Davies White on plans and met with them several times
With less than a week left until the Duchess of Cambridge’s unveils her garden design for the Chelsea Flower Show, it’s time for the final touches to be made.
Over the past few months Kate, 37, has worked with the Royal Horticultural Society and Davies White to produce the plot for the annual gardening event.
Today Kensington Palace’s official Twitter account shared previously unseen pictures of the mother-of-three preparing her landscape design.
In the images Kate is seen inspecting hand-drawn plans, chatting with designers and choosing plants to include in the garden.
The tweets revealed that in the lead up to the show the Duchess has been very hands on and visited plant nurseries, suppliers and specialist craftspeople.
Kensington Palace tweeted: ‘Over the past few months, The Duchess and landscape architects Davies White visited plant nurseries, suppliers and specialist craftspeople who have been growing and building elements of the garden ready for RHSChelsea.’
Kate’s garden design – called the RHS Back To Nature Garden – is set in a woodland and hopes to be a space where families and communities can connect with nature.
There will be a stream and tree house complete with a swing seat, so that children can play while visiting the garden.
The Duchess also wanted to highlight how being active in nature can positively impact physical and mental health in her garden plan.
She designed the area with landscape architects Andree Davies and Adam White of Davies White Landscape Architects.
When plans for the garden design were released Sue Biggs, RHS Director General, said: ‘There are many sensory elements to help children to learn.’
‘Active play in the fresh air is also important for a child’s development and getting back to nature has been shown to be good for developing creativity, increasing physical activity and reducing stress.’
Kate is a strong advocate for the positive impact that nature and the environment can have on childhood development.
She has demonstrated this through her longstanding support for organisations including the Scouts and Farms for City Children, as well as at more recent engagements to Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden, the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and her visit today to Islington Community Garden.
In March Kate got her hands dirty when she joined some Scouts in outdoor play while visiting their headquarters at Gilwell Park, Essex.
The Duchess was seen sitting inside a den made from twigs and leaves as the youngsters enjoyed the fresh air and game of hide and seek.
The Duchess of Cambridge and the landscape designers have worked for months to come up with the plans and are said to have emailed and spoken almost every day for months, reports People.
Landscaper Adam White also revealed that Kate was ‘very open’ during the process and said that they spoke about childhood memories when planning the garden.
He said: ‘To us, this is very much about childhood memories. We all spoke about our childhood memories, being outdoors and exploring nature.
‘She was very open and has been hugely collaborative. This is very much about the three of us, as co-designers.’
The Back to Nature Garden is part of the RHS’s partnership with NHS England, which promotes the physical and emotional wellbeing that access to green spaces and gardening provides.
After Chelsea, some of the planting and landscaping will go to an NHS Mental Health Trust, as part of a national competition run by the RHS.
Kate is also set to design two more RHS Gardens with a landscape architect for displays at RHS Hampton Court and RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey later this year.
The Chelsea Flower Show runs from the 21st to the 25th of May, with the majority of tickets now being sold out.
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| PEOPLE.com
Source: HELLO MAGAZINE
