The RNIB Community Garden

Did you know...

• Four COR-TEN steel screens placed around the garden have viewing windows to simulate the vision of people suffering from the four main causes of sight loss: retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts
• The eye-catching tall white flower standing above the textural massed planting is Romneya coulteri, the Californian tree poppy
• Raised beds, made of lucent copper slate, are included to help blind and partially sighted people feel safe and enclosed in their surroundings

About the garden

Designed to celebrate the RNIB’s 150th anniversary, this garden is a place in which the community can come together in a relaxed and informal space. A Corten steel water wall and a granite vortex add sound and dynamism in this sensory garden. Corten steel screens, in which windows with filters are cut, allow visitors to experience what it’s like to suffer some of the conditions leading to sight loss.
 
Shade-loving planting contrasts with the sun-loving, fragrant, and sensory types. This contrast between light and dark planting is a key element to the scheme and represents the difference between full vision, partial vision and total sight loss.

Grasses such as Pennisetum villosum, P. orientale 'Shogun' and Stipa tenuissima add year-round interest, texture, movement and gentle sound, with fragrant planting positioned at different heights to be accessible to all.