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Blind Veterans UK: It’s All About Community Garden

Circular Show Garden designed with blind and visually impaired veterans in mind while employing traditional craftsmanship

Show Gardens

Did you know...

  • Impressive woven willow sculptures are among this garden's many highlights; sinuous and organic they form a pergola-like structure in one place, and also twist around the wooden gazebo. Constructed in contrasting dark and pale willow to increase visibility to some visually imapred visitors
  • The extensive planting includes areas of both edible and ornamental plants. Bold blocks of colour from plants such as Helenium, Penstemon and Dahlia help with orientation for the visually impared, while scented plants such as roses are also grouped, again guiding visitors
  • Beautifully crafted metalwork gates, created to resemble tree branches, add an element of interest in this highly detailed garden, while perched on one of the garden's several seats, a group of metal birds lend further charm

About the Garden

The garden celebrates the vibrancy and activities of the beneficiaries, volunteers and staff at Blind Veterans UK. It is a community garden that brings together everyone involved in the charity as well as offering sensory stimulus to those with vision impairment as much as everyone involved in the garden.

A Liquidambar styraciflua tree provides shade at the centre of the garden, while 40-year-old apple and pear trees form a mini orchard. Ornamental planting includes contemporary plantings of roses, dahlias and grasses, and a kitchen garden includes some unusual species selected for their fragrance as much as their use.

RHS People’s Choice Award

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.