The Stroke Association is set to present its first ever show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May this year.

Sponsored by Project Giving Back, the garden is designed to support and facilitate the best possible recovery for stroke survivors.

Designed by Miria Harris, the garden is inspired by the landscape designer’s own experience of stroke and the stories of other survivors.

Harris says; “They [the stories] have shaped the garden’s themes and have directly influenced the material choices I have made in the design.”

The garden will be a 10 x 22m Main Avenue show garden, and Harris’s first time designing at RHS Chelsea.

Miria Harris Portrait RHS

Designed to be a peaceful and sensory space for recovery. Both the loose muted rainbow colour block planting and wildlife pond and stream will provide soft way-finding for those with additional visual or mobility needs.

At the garden’s centre will be a space for relaxation and reflection, with seating created by furniture designer Olivia Gonsalves.

Accessible pathways will be interconnected throughout the landscape, representing the difficult road to recovery.

Harris survived a stroke in 2019 which left her with aphasia, affecting her ability to speak and form works properly.

She says; “I didn’t know what was happening and thought I was losing my mind. My voice came back to me relatively quickly, but the stroke led to a discovery that I had a hole in my heart and in 2020 I had heart surgery to close the hole.

“It is definitely not as simple as just getting better. There are many bumps in the road and recovery is not linear. After the disconnecting experience of stroke, the reconnection with people I love and with nature has been hugely important.”

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show will run from 21 – 25 May 2024.