A few weeks back at the start of COVID-19 lock down, we reported on a group of plant suppliers who created the Nightingale wellbeing garden for NHS staff at the temporary hospital erected in London to help control the Coronavirus, as a place for our NHS workers to relax.
Now the Government is winding down this particular health facility, as the hospital is no longer required as part of the COVID-19 plans to tackle the virus and the Nightingale wellbeing garden has been dismantled. Thankfully, the plants and living wall set up at the Nightingale are not for the scrap heap. Instead they are being transferred to become a permanent fixture at The Dementia Courtyard at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
Work will start on the new garden this Friday May 22nd and will provide a place to relax as well as for patients to tend the plants themselves.
The plants, vertical planters, plant pots, trees, astroturf and outdoor furniture were all donated to the NHS by UK horticultural and outdoor landscaping companies. This initiative was conceived when It became clear that millions of plants would otherwise go to waste when retailers such as garden centres, florists and DIY stores had to close due to coronavirus. The project was managed by Biotecture MD, Richard Sabin www.biotecture.uk.com .
Overall there were more than 2,500 plants donated for the Nurses wellbeing Garden by Newey Ltd (https://www.newey.com) and other wholesale ornamental plant growers. Most of these and further plants more suitable to shade will be donated to the Dementia Courtyard garden.
Director of Newey Ltd Alex Newey says: “When our normal routes to market closed, we had to explore every avenue possible to get our maturing plants in the ground. What better way than to support our front line doctors and nurses? We are grateful that retailers have opened again, and we are happy to continue to provide flowers and shrubs to help cheer up other NHS spaces around the UK.”
The plants chosen were a mixture of Geraniums, Fuchsia, Dianthus and Senetti, and were planted in 550 recycled plastic vertical garden stackable PlantBox units donated by Growing Revolution www.growingrevolution.com. Matt Lindsay, General Manager of Growing Revolution, concludes: “We are so proud to be able to support an initiative like this.”