Founded by local GPs to encourage growing community wellbeing, the Farncombe Community Garden is used by a wide range of people – from patients prescribed gardening to complement modern medicine, to school groups, the neighbouring care home and residents who want to enjoy time outdoors. The not-for-profit garden runs weekly open sessions for all keen to learn, or connect with nature.
The plants of the RHS Healer’s Hollow show garden, designed by Emily Grayshaw and Jude Yeo which featured at the 2025 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, have been permanently relocated to Farncombe.
Rooted in the traditions of herbal medicine, the RHS Healer’s Hollow garden explored the benefits of plants for modern-day healing and beauty, selected for aiding skin, digestion and women’s health. According to the charity, the arrival of the RHS Healer’s Hollow plants has not only transformed the Farncombe Community Garden, but also underlined its ethos of using ‘plants with purpose’ to benefit everyday health.
The herbaceous plants from the show garden’s medicinal beds, including the woodland species, have replanted in Farncombe’s sensory and cutting gardens as well as adding to the woodland areas, creating spaces that encourage relaxation, recovery and community connection.
Designers, Emily Grayshaw and Jude Yeo, of Inspired Earth Design, said: “We have been involved with Farncombe Community Garden for several years and were completely inspired by its ethos. The link to our RHS Feature Garden was strengthened by our shared commitment to plants with medicinal purposes, and with the garden led by GPs passionate about holistic health care, we knew this would be the ideal home for the plants. A big thank you to the RHS for this generous gift.”
Dr Karen Jones from the Farncombe Community Garden team, said: “The arrival of over 1000 plants has transformed our sensory, cutting and woodland areas, enabling us to expand the support we can offer to the local community.”
