Help Jodie replant her garden at HeadsUp Somerset

Jodie Chan is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, my name is Jodie and I need your help so that I bring my Hampton Court garden "Touching the senses" to a final resting Heads Up, a mental health and wellbeing charity based in Somerset.

Your generous donations (£750) to date have allowed me to finance a significant chunk of the initial Hampton Court project but I'm still looking for help to cover the cost of around 400 plants destined for Heads Up garden. The more I can fundraise, the fewer plants I need to sell off to recoup costs, and so the more plants I can donate to a very deserving charity!

Here's my back story...

I've recently retrained in horticulture and this spring I landed my first permanent job as a gardener at a local nursing home. I was touched by how many residents with dementia had a strong emotional connection with the garden and how they found joy in talking about horticulture and enjoying the sight and touch of plants. The sense of touch seems particularly important for those with failing sight.

Slightly punching above my weight, I decided to design a sensory pocket garden for our residents and submitted my idea to RHS Hampton Court Festival. I was hoping it would be a good learning exercise and that the feedback would help me become a better gardener and designer in the future. What I didn't expect to happen, was to be awarded a place in their show! - 3rd - 9th July 2023

My creation...

A sea of breezy grasses punctuated by architectural globes of spiky succulents and bright button-like flowers celebrate texture and the joy of touch. These large sculptural spheres used more than 1,000 colourful, hardy succulents, inviting visitors to touch and explore. Sempervivum and Echeveria in purples, greens and yellows bring impact, while tactile Stipa tenuissima provides a soft contrasting backdrop. Inspired by planting schemes that use box balls as anchor points amongst prairie-style planting, the design aims to recreate this effect with succulents taking the place of box for a sense of fun, intrigue and irresistible texture. This is a low-maintenance and drought-resistant garden, designed with wheelchair users in mind, offering easy access to touch the highly textural plants.