Room to Breathe Hospital Garden for the TSA
The Garden - An introduction
The "Room to Breathe" Hospital Garden will feature in the container garden category at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2025. It showcases how small spaces can become restorative sanctuaries, highlighting nature’s power to comfort and restore, and inspiring visitors to transform modest outdoor areas into spaces of well-being.
Designed to raise awareness for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association (TSA), the garden turns a hospital courtyard into a peaceful retreat, offering comfort and calm.
Inspired by Jen Donnelly’s experience of waiting in a hospital while her son underwent surgery, the garden demonstrates how nature can promote healing and well-being in healthcare settings.
Jen and Catherine hope to inspire others to rethink small outdoor spaces as a way to reduce stress, enhance well-being, and reconnect with nature.
The Garden - Inspired by love and care
The garden is designed to provide a calming sanctuary for parents and carergivers when spending time supporting their loved ones in hospital.
Co-designed by Jen Donnelly and Catherine Gibbon, the "Room to Breathe" garden was born from Jen’s personal experience of anxiously waiting in a hospital while her son, Alex, who has Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), underwent brain surgery at the age of 4. This experience highlighted the vital need for restorative green spaces in healthcare settings, sparking the idea for the garden.
Jen and Catherine, both passionate about creating well-being-focused outdoor spaces, volunteer at Amersham Hospital, where they rejuvenate gardens for staff and patients. Their firsthand experiences have demonstrated how green spaces can significantly enhance well-being in healthcare environments, inspiring their vision for this garden.
Visitors to the garden will discover an oasis of calm—a space designed for healing and well-being. The container garden employs thoughtful design techniques such as layering, plant repetition, and vertical elements like the pergola structure, which adds height and a sense of enclosure. Specimen trees and layered planting in containers and on walls create a rich experience without sacrificing valuable ground space.
A cocoon-like chair offers a comforting "hug," providing caregivers with a sense of security and a chance to re-energise. A water feature enhances the soothing atmosphere, bringing an added sense of tranquility to the space.
The Garden - Beyond the show
After the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the container garden will have a permanent home at Amersham Hospital, part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
This enduring legacy ensures the garden will continue to provide comfort and well-being for patients, caregivers, and hospital staff.
​
The project reflects Jen and Catherine’s ongoing commitment to creating green spaces for well-being within healthcare settings.​​
Concept for a therapeutic garden at Amersham Hospital.