The unexpected gardener comes to Chelsea

Thrive has been selected to create a small urban garden for the Unexpected Gardener at the world's most famous horticultural event of the year, with a modern and contemporary garden by award winning designer, Jo Thompson.

Designed for the mature yet stylish gentleman, the garden will provide practical support and structure and includes an outdoor fireplace and seated area used for entertaining and contemplation, as well as a host of special features including a console table and fountain by Gareth Neal, which are complemented by the sumptuous planting combinations of the rich blues and purples of irises, including the Jamie Roo which will make its debut appearance at a show. The caramels and browns of the velvet-textured roses and a delightfully rare geranium 'Southease Celestial' all provide the ingredients for a colourful yet practical garden.

Inspiration for the garden came after Jo Thompson’s visit to Thrive. "After seeing so many people working at Thrive with a wide range of disabilities, I began to wonder what compromises I would need to make as a more mature gardener. I realised that for many it is important to create a manageable, yet still stylish and contemporary space"

Thrive is a small national charity, the only national charity of its kind, that uses gardening to change the lives of disabled people.

Some of the plants will be grown and nurtured by the Thrive disabled gardeners and those which achieve show standard will be selected by Jo to proudly appear in her garden alongside plants grown by professional breeders and growers including Roger Platt and Iris of Sissinghurst. The plants not selected for the show will be sold at Thrive’s Battersea Garden Project (opposite the RHS Chelsea) during and after the show. The project will be documented by a series of visual images following the journey of the gardeners planting for RHS Chelsea.

Thrive’s vision is to enable those people touched by a disability to transform their lives through gardening. They help people to rebuild their lives after an accident or illness such as a stroke, heart attack or the onset of Alzheimer’s. They also offer older people practical ways to help them carry on gardening and support good health; showing those with depression or other mental health issues how to achieve a sense of purpose and teenagers how to deal with behavioural problems.

For more information on Thrive’s garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show visit www.thrive.org.uk.

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For more information or to arrange media interviews, please contact Janet Carruzzo on 0118 988 5688 or janet.carruzzo@thrive.org.uk
or
Emma Hall on 07956 307 382 or emma@thesmallbusinessconsultancy.com

Notes to Editors

• Thrive was set up in 1978 and is a national charity that operates in the field of disability and gardening. It provides information and specialist services, training and structured gardening horticultural programmes which help thousands of disabled people. Thrive is a registered charity no. 277570

• Jo will be supported by New Ground Landscapes and Privett International to build the garden and will feature work by Gareth Neale and Jo Angell.