RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden to promote children’s mental health

The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, in partnership with Sarasin & Partners, will promote the importance of children’s mental health, and offer a safe space where children can take time and talk.

The garden will be unveiled at the world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which takes place this spring (24–28 May 2022). RHS Ambassador and horticulturist Jamie Butterworth is designing the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, which will be his first RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden.

Jamie, a Place2Be Champion, has designed the garden with input from staff and pupils at Place2Be partner school, Viking Primary School in West London. It aims to be safe and peaceful, where children can feel calm and talk while also taking in the beauty of plants and the benefits of being outdoors.

Clinical research shows that 50% of people with a lifetime mental health issue develop symptoms before age 14. The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden will use this space and the Chelsea Flower Show platform to generate discussion and a better understanding of the importance of nurturing mental health from an early age.

The garden’s planting scheme will be lush and green. It will promote a feeling of safety and wellbeing, emphasising the vital connection children need to have with plants, growing and nurturing the outside world.

Garden illustrated by Sarah-Leigh Wills, Happydesigner

The garden is being developed in partnership with sustainable investment manager Sarasin & Partners, which adopts a 'securing tomorrow' approach to investing. Sarasin & Partners has been supporting Place2Be for the past two years.

After the Chelsea Flower Show, with support from Sarasin & Partners, the garden will be relocated within the Viking Primary School grounds. Watch the video above to learn more.

Guy Matthews, CEO of Sarasin & Partners, said:

"I am delighted Sarasin & Partners has taken the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful initiative. By supporting Jamie Butterworth and Place2Be in the creation of the Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden, we hope to highlight the importance of sustainability and securing a future for the planet and the next generation, especially as the children of Viking Primary School will be able to enjoy the garden for years to come. These aims are at the heart of what we do, combined with our heritage in charity investment and helping charities to achieve their long-term goals."

Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be, said:

“One in six children now has a diagnosable mental health issue, and many more are struggling with the challenges and uncertainties of life today. The Place2Be Securing Tomorrow Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show offers a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the need to invest in children’s mental health.

"We are thrilled to be working with Sarasin & Partners and with the very talented Jamie Butterworth, who share our passion for the need to increase understanding of the vital importance of supporting wellbeing from an early age."

Read Kate Silverton's reflections on the Securing Tomorrow Garden