One of the attractions at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival this year will be a show garden on behalf of Cancer Research UK, created by award-winning garden designer Karen Tatlow. The garden has been thoughtfully designed to highlight the interdependent relationship between Cancer Research UK’s legacy supporters and their world class scientists and researchers who together will help beat cancer for future generations. Without the gifts left by donors in their wills, the vital pioneering work Cancer Research UK performs to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer would simply not be possible.
Since her show garden debut supporting a colleague and close friend at Gardeners’ World Live in 2018 – where the garden was awarded the Platinum medal – Karen has gone on to design a show garden on behalf of Diabetes UK which was awarded the Silver-Gilt medal from the RHS, as well as the awards for “Best Construction” and “People’s Choice”.
The RHS approached Karen when Cancer Research UK was looking for a suitable designer for this special project, owing to her ability to translate the message a charity wishes to convey through the use of a show garden.
Having first-hand knowledge of the effect that cancer can have on a family, Karen immediately agreed, commenting:
“It feels like one of the best reasons for doing a show garden. It is such a beautiful way of getting the message out there. After all, almost no family has been untouched by cancer. The design brief provided by Cancer Research UK was also one that immediately captured my imagination, as they wanted the public to be able to walk through it. Being able to immerse yourself in a show garden in this way is quite rare, so I relished the opportunity to create something interactive.”
Her own story has influenced the design of the garden where she has made use of a moongate, which is an architectural element often used in gardens to symbolise renewal and rebirth, as well as wisdom, immortality and knowledge. The moon also has special significance for Karen and her family – as it reminds them of a family member who recently lost the fight to pancreatic cancer.
The garden will cover an area of just over 100 square meters and has been constructed to be an immersive visitor experience. As you walk through the garden you will be led through two equal sized areas, each highlighting the importance of gifts in wills and the research these allow the charity to perform.
Many of the plants being used in the garden have been carefully selected as they have been tested for their anti-cancer properties and found to contain potential cancer fighting benefits. Sophie Parmenter, a University of Oxford-trained botanist and fellow garden designer, worked on the planting design. Drawing on the experience gained through her botanical studies, Sophie undertook a tremendous amount of research to find the right selection of plants, highlighting the importance of plant biodiversity to future medical development.
Reflecting on the discoveries Sophie said:
“Great design comes out of a restricted brief and limiting ourselves to using plants shown by research to have potential anticancer benefits allowed us to explore some interesting planting combinations. You might imagine that most of them would be rare and unusual, and therefore impossible to use in a UK show garden but I think people will be surprised by how many of the plants they recognise.
Whether visitors enjoy vivid floral planting, or a more restful foliage-focussed approach, everyone will find something to appreciate as they wander through The Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden.
Visit this engaging garden at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival between the 5th and 9th May 2022.