Designed by Pip Probert, the Greenfingers Charity Anniversary Garden, will bring to life the five key elements that define every Greenfingers garden: Play, Learn, Remember, Care, and Grow.
The garden draws on inspiration from Claire House Children’s Hospice in The Wirral, where Probert, alongside the Greenfingers team met with hospice staff and explored an existing Greenfingers space.
According to Greenfingers, the news of the show garden is a full circle moment, as the charity was first launched at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, 25 years ago. The 2025 show provides an opportunity to celebrate this milestone, while showcasing the importance of gardens and how they can bring comfort, joy, and connection to the children, families, and hospice staff.
Boyd Douglas-Davies, Greenfingers Charity Chair, said: “For 25 years, Greenfingers Charity has been creating magical gardens that bring joy and respite to life-limited children, their families and also hospice staff. BBC Gardeners’ World Live is where our journey began, making it the perfect place to celebrate this milestone. The Greenfingers Charity Anniversary Garden will showcase the incredible impact these outdoor spaces can have, inspiring visitors to see gardens as places of healing, learning, and togetherness.”
A garden designed for all
Spanning 15.5m x 15.5m, the Greenfingers Charity Anniversary Garden, will be a multi- sensory, inclusive space designed to engage children of all abilities while offering places to play, relax, reflect, and connect with nature.
- The garden will feature interactive sensory elements, including a sensory pergola with coloured ribbons, a slinky wall, musical instruments, texture panels, a Lego panel, and a blackboard. Children can explore a peephole plank pathway, a tall steppingstone route leading to a raised deck, seating options such as bean bags and hammock. A slide adds extra element of excitement and adventure.
- Quiet spaces like the ‘Cosy Corner’ will offer a safe, supportive environment where children, families, and hospice staff can take time out to reflect, talk, or simply be together.
- The raised planters at the front of the garden will allow children to experience the joy of growing their own food, with herbs, fruits, and vegetables forming part of an interactive planting scheme. The space will also feature a living herb wall to encourage hands-on engagement.
- Learning will be woven into every aspect of the garden, from sensory play to hands-on gardening activities. A dedicated kitchen area, positioned under the pergola, will allow children to take part in outdoor food preparation and cooking experiences.
- Throughout the garden, special details will provide opportunities for reflection and remembrance. A handprint-paved path, personalised hand-shaped decorations on the ivy hedge, and quiet corners will offer moments of connection and tribute to lost loved ones.
Designed with accessibility in mind, the garden will also include 1.5m-wide paths with 1.8m turning circles, ensuring easy access for wheelchair users. Vibrant colours and textures will bring the space to life, whilst the use of varied materials, such as setts, pebbles, cane-like bumps and grass blocks, offer a tactile and engaging journey.
Following the show, key elements of the garden will be relocated to children’s hospices, ensuring its legacy continues to benefit children and families in need.
BBC Gardeners’ World Live takes place at the Birmingham NEC from 12th-15th June 2025.