© Amy Moore
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Care for all at Cransley Hospice

The wildlife garden that's helping patients find peace and comfort at Cransley Hospice 

Colourful heads of Achillea gently nod as a roaming bee forages through its flowers, in search of nectar. A breeze whispers through some nearby fennel and brushes the long fronds of grasses that are scattered through the garden. Catching the wings of the bee, the breeze carries her back to her home in a honeycomb-shaped wall, packed with sticks.

This is the Urban Pollinator Garden. Once standing in the grounds of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, it has now found a permanent home at Cransley Hospice, Kettering, Northamptonshire.

I’m really pleased that the garden can live on,’ says the designer, Caitlin McLaughlin. ‘It’s given it a new life and a space for people and wildlife to come together.’

A home for bees

© Amy Moore
Close up of part of the honeycomb-shaped wall
One of the most striking and instantly-recognisable features of the Urban Pollinator Garden is the honeycomb-shaped wall. This space, which spanned the entirety of the design’s rear wall at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, has taken on a new life since being relocated.

‘I always knew I wanted to relocate the garden, and we built this wall in sections so that it would be easier to move,’ explains Caitlin

As the space is much bigger at Cransley than the festival, the honeycomb has become more of a feature than a wall, with the two parts now framing the garden.

'...it really hit home that this garden could potentially be one of the last things some people see'

The honeycomb structure is not only eye-catching, it also plays a vital role in the garden. Packed within the hexagonal sections you’ll find an array of sticks, straw and piles of bee bricks – the perfect home for passing pollinators.

‘The materials used within the wall help different sized solitary bees,’ explains Caitlin. ‘For example, the plant stems and small holes in the wood can provide a nesting space for scissor bees. These bees are so tiny that they can lay their eggs inside holes made by woodworm beetles.’

© Amy Moore
Patio area of garden with hidden details
© Amy Moore
Close up of custom-made bee tile
 Intricate details for bees are scattered through the garden – most notably in the patio area. Custom-made tiles with a bee design copper inlay are scattered throughout. Some, located within the borders, hide a hollow nesting site for bees underneath.

The planting in the garden has also been planned with pollinators in mind. Lush borders bursting with life fill a space that was once a bare lawn. Through the whispering long grasses, pops of colour from Verbascum and Achillea add to the calming purple and whites of the scheme and provide plenty of opportunity for hungry insects.

© Amy Moore
Lush planting of Achillea and long grasses
‘I included fennel for foliage at Hampton Court Palace, but their flowers are a great one for pollinators too,’ says Caitlin. ‘That’s the wonderful thing about this garden living on – plants that hadn’t flowered in time for the festival now have the opportunity to come into their own.’
 

The passage of time

© Amy Moore
The garden in full summer bloom
As the season goes on, the residents and staff of Cransley Hospice get to witness something not seen at the festival – the evolution of the garden.

‘It’s really exciting as, while this garden is a snapshot of summer, it’ll look completely different as the year goes on,’ says Caitlin. ‘I like to leave seedheads and grasses through winter, which this garden has in abundance.’

The space has already been utilised by Cransley, with families coming together and residents keen to keep up the maintenance of the garden.

‘Gardens are so good for wellbeing and I wanted to ensure that the people living here have a nice space to enjoy,’ says Caitlin. ‘The residents have been asking about keeping the garden looking its best and I’m really happy for them to make it their own and add to the borders.’

‘I know a lot of staff have already been enjoying the space too. Their jobs can be very demanding and it’s important that they have somewhere peaceful to go. I know they’ve already been enjoying the space at lunch time.’

© Amy Moore
Wide pathways so the garden can be navigated easily
 Making the space available to all is the garden’s priority. Access is considered throughout, with the pathways retaining a width that wheelchairs and beds can easily be navigated through.

Many of the rooms in the hospice also look out over the garden, meaning residents can enjoy the space, whatever the time, day or weather.

‘I’ve been talking a lot to the residents about their thoughts on the garden and they’ve said how lovely it is to look out their window and see it,’ says Caitlin. ‘I’m really pleased as I really enjoy making things beautiful and I want this to be something that can help people.'

‘This has become even more poignant as the build has gone on. Being a hospice, the sad truth is that patients pass away. Over just the course of a month, some of the residents have passed away and it really hit home that this garden could potentially be one of the last things some people see.'
 
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