The Flora pro.activ display at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live, has been designed by John Woods Nurseries, the Suffolk-based supplier of plants to garden centres and retail nurseries,
Inspired by the garden created by John Woods Nurseries for interior design expert and Flora pro.activ brand ambassador, Linda Barker, the Flora pro.activ Heart Healthy Garden is aims to highlight the physical, mental and social health benefits of gardening.
Many experts agree that gardening for half an hour every day can significantly improve our health and fitness, while even 20 minutes daily is sufficient to reduce stress.
As well as helping to reduce cholesterol levels through the production of high density lipoprotein (HDL), gardening can reduce the risk of osteoporosis, dementia, and diabetes. Gardening can also stimulate the body’s feel-good chemicals and help to alleviate depression.
Designed for an urban setting, The Flora pro.activ Heart Healthy Garden features wisteria and climbing roses along the side borders, while a pleached hornbeam hedge along the third boundary completes a feeling of privacy.
Providing shade will be a fabric sail that floats over the garden’s terrace. The result is an enclosure in which a sumptuous and colourful array of plants can thrive.
The garden incorporates a wide range of plants including shrubs, trees, roses, perennials, ferns, grasses, climbers and hedges. Central to the colour palette and structure of the design are Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’, Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’, Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’ and Hydrangea macrophylla ‘The Bride’.
Linda said, “The opportunity to consult on the Heart Healthy garden is a continuation of my work with Flora pro.activ – their interest in health and well being is something that I practice wholeheartedly myself.
“We decided to use my own London garden as a blue-print for the space everyone will see at Gardeners’ World Live – albeit on a much larger scale! The plants and colours are those I live with in and around my own home, while the layout of space echoes how I have zoned my own garden. I hope the finished design communicates my ambition to treat exterior spaces with the same passion I have for interiors – a visual and practical bridge between inside and out.”
The Flora pro.activ Heart Healthy Garden will be on Stand GA14 at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live. The show takes place at the NEC, Birmingham from 15 -19 June. For full event details, visit http://www.bbcgardenersworldlive.com/.
More information:
Flora pro-activ Heart Healthy garden layout and planting plan – Take a closer look at the garden plan and plant list