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PROJECT GIVING BACK VIDEO

The Freedom From Torture Garden:
A Sanctuary for Survivors
Episode 1

PROJECT GIVING BACK VIDEO

The Freedom From Torture Garden:
A Sanctuary for Survivors
Episode 2

PROLANDSCAPER SUSTAINABILITY & BIODIVERISTY AWARDS 2024

Winner: Emma O’Connell Garden Design
In partnership with Boom & Bonheur
Commercial Design Project – Temporary Installation: for The Freedom From Torture Garden: A Sanctuary For Survivors, RHS Chelsea 2024

BBC ON X

Emma O’Connell and Freedom From Torture’s CEO Sonya Screats talk to the BBC ahead of King Charles III’s visit to the garden.

CHANNEL 4 NEWS

Chelsea Flower Show: A Sanctuary for Survivors

BBC RADIO 4

Emma and Tanya spoke to BBC Radio 4 about the flowers and trees that were chosen, as well as how gardening reminds people of home (coverage starts at 40 mins).

THE TIMES

Chelsea Flower Show 2024: The 20 gardens to look out for

LIVING ETC

Chelsea Flower Show Gardening Trends: Climate Resilient Gardens

THE TELEGRAPH

Chelsea Flower Show: Winners Revealed

Instagram

emmaoconnellgardendesign

RHS Chelsea award winning garden and landscape design practice creating bespoke green spaces 🍃 #gardendesigner #london #kent #surrey #sussex

Curved and cantilevered steps float over the folia

Curved and cantilevered steps float over the foliage to transport us from the bottom to the top of this garden in Primrose Hill.

#gardendesign #landscapedesign #plantexpert #furnituredesign #steps #stairs #gardeninspiration #gardeninspo #instagarden #ferns #acer #astilbe #metalwork #londongarden #citygarden #oasis #sanctuary #calmgarden #restandrelaxation #randr #cantilever #emmaoconnellgardendesign
@_xfabrication londonstone @howgreennursery
Photography @aguittenyphoto

Well that was a year! A few highlights captured he

Well that was a year! A few highlights captured here...

1. Meeting HRH King Charles @the_rhs Chlsea Flower Show 2024 on our Silver medal award winning garden for @freedomfromtorture

2. Chatting all things horticultural with @alantitchmarshmbe at the @royalwindsorhorseshow

3. Being papped with Super Chefs @marcuswareing @prueleith , Kathy Slack @gluts_gluttony and of course Nafa, survivor of torture and all round culinary superstar.

4. Discussing roses with @sarahpricelandscapes

5. Deciphering which plant was giving off a decidedly musky smell with the BBC presenters (Phuopsis stylosa for the record)

6. Trying to keep up with Dame Joanna Lumley @freedomfromtorture ambassador

And last but certainly not least
7.Getting to work alongside 6 time RHS gold medal winner John Warland @senselessaob . What a privilege . Thank you for everything John.

#dreambig #keepdreaming #keepgoing #2024 #2024highlights #gardendesign #gardendesigner #loveyourjob

Lovely feature article on our Stockwell Garden in

Lovely feature article on our Stockwell Garden in @moderngardens magazine this month. Big thanks to @aguittenyphoto for the great photography and my friends and clients, Peter and Adrian, for letting us invade their special space to get the shoot done. Also to Victoria O'Dwyer who is the fantastic gardener behind this one. And finally to Peter's architecture practice @malinandlynn who created the dream garden room, providing the perfect ending to the journey to the bottom of the garden.
#gardenmagazine #inprint #moderngardens #citygarden #designergarden #gardendesign #gardenbuilding #gardenphotography #beforeandafter

'A true inspiration' Honoured to have won the 202

'A true inspiration'

Honoured to have won the 2024 Sustainbility and Biodiversity Award for a Commercial Project for our relocated RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden for Freedom For Torture with @senselessaob

A Sanctuary For Survivors was designed with sustainability and social impact at its heart. From conception to build at the Chelsea show ground, to translocation and rebuild at its final home in Finsbury Park, every aspect was considered from an environmental and sustainable standpoint.

The judges said: 'A really good example of how to develop longevity, overcome problems and adapt planting to suit. The project benefits people, flora and fauna, whilst shining a light on social justice and pain. A true inspiration.'

Thank you to everyone involved in this project - a real coming together of brilliant people, plants and product.

#award #commercialdesign #socialdesign #gooddesign #designforgood #showgarden #relocatedgarden

@freedomfromtorture @project.giving.back @livinglandscapesuk @bethchattogardens @kelwaysplantslangport @provendernurseries @nomoredigging @clayworksclayplasters @allgreengb @tomharestudio @maggy_howarth_studios @bushmanovens @haithwaiteceramics @torc_pots @londonsplantman @reclaimeddesignuk @victorialeggegardendesign @rachelfitzgeraldpr @prolandscaper

Our Stockwell Garden looking fabulous from top to

Our Stockwell Garden looking fabulous from top to bottom. Lounging, dining, sun bathing, cooking, water, sun, shade; it's got it all.

#gardendesign #citygarden #outdoorroom
#outdoorrooms #urbanoasis
Photography @aguittenyphoto

@grilloliving @_londonstone @malinandlynn

We were so sorry to learn that the incredible pebb

We were so sorry to learn that the incredible pebble mosaic artist Maggy Howarth died not long after RHS Chelsea this year. The arresting mosaic, with its rich earthy tones that her studio created for us was the very first thing we commissioned for our show garden. We knew from the start it would form the perfect swirling centre piece for this garden, drawing people down into the very heart of this sanctuary.

Maggy's legacy lives on in many private and public spaces including now the Sanctuary for Survivors Garden in North London at @freedomfromtorture HQ.

Thank you Maggy, George, Steve and the whole @maggy_howarth_studios team.

Photography
@annaick@ag-photography.co.uk @britt.willoughby.photography

#mosaic #maggyhowarth #rhschelsea #therapygarden #horticulturaltherapy #gardenmosaic #gardensforgoodcauses @project.giving.back @senselessaob

Lines in the Landscape After and Before. This larg

Lines in the Landscape
After and Before. This large sloping garden demanded some serious terracing and the most magnificent steps to create a focal point and make the journey to the top worth it. The strong vertical accents provided by the tree choices are designed to soften and contrast with the strong horizontal lines of the hardlandscaping and start to create a balanced sense of scale which will only get better over time.

Built by @londonhardlandscapes

#beforeandafter #afterandbefore #gardensteps #gardendesign #gardendesigner #bromely #instagarden #gardensofinstagram #terrace #terracing #landscapedesigner #landscaping #lawn #raisedbeds #gardenlifestyle #jardin

Each of the specimen plants in the Sanctuary for S

Each of the specimen plants in the Sanctuary for Survivors garden told a story. The fig, an ancient indicator of water and providers of sweet things for a Survivor who fled Zimbawe. The Arbutus, scarred from life and fighting disease but continuing to gift its strawberry like fruits. The windswept pines, uprooted from their longtime home but rescued to live again. And finally the Pomegrante, a gnarled stump, seemingly long gone but growing again from its base - the result of just a little bit of care and the right environment.

We were lucky enough to work with long term trusted partner @provendernurseries who helped us find, nurture, and transport each of these characterful specimens to the show.

Big thanks to the whole team there, particularly Richard, Liz P, Liz H and Stuart for buying into our vision and helping us to source anything but ordinary.

#specimenplants #nursery #plantnursery #showgarden #chelseaflowershow2024 #chelseaflowershow #rhschelsea #rhschelseaflowershow #plantspecialists #anythingbutordinary #storytelling #trees #treesforsmallgardens #gardentrees #fig #pomegrante #pines #arbutus

Cover photography @aguittenyphoto
Garden made for @freedomfromtorture and supported by @project.giving.back
Codesigned with @senselessaob and built by @livinglandscapesuk

Beautiful, captivating, otherworldly willow. Woven

Beautiful, captivating, otherworldly willow. Woven by the finest in the land - Tom and Sara Hare and their crew. What an absolute privilege to have met and worked with such wonderful, generous people so dedicated to their craft.

From the first meeting in the Big Orange Bus and pacing out the design in the horse paddock, through to the final details woven on site at Chelsea in the middle of artic lorry chaos their warm, creative calm reigned strong and the result is evident in the incredible sculptures they created.

Willow is a magnificent material. Harvested from the Somerset Levels, sustainable, organic and the only material we could have conceived making the curvaceous screens and arches for the garden from. Flanders Red was the cultivar of choice and its final form, texture and colour brought movement and warmth creating real spaces of sanctuary.

Heartfelt thanks to @sticksnapper and the crew and to @senselessaob for bringing me into the fold to work with such special folk.

Supported by @project.giving.back in aid of @freedomfromtorture

#sanctuaryforsurvivors #Chelsea #chelseaflowershow #willow #sculpture #craft #weaving #willowweaving #gardensculpture #gardensanctuary

Natural stone was essential to evoking an arid roc

Natural stone was essential to evoking an arid rocky landscape in the Sanctuary for Survivors garden. With the help of @allgreengb we were able to source all the stone from a local quarry, hand selecting very special pieces to create everything from rocky outcrops, to dry stone walling, through to giant steps and oven plinths cuts from perfectly curved boulders.

The uneven and worn natural durlston stone encountered at the beginning of the journey through the garden helped us create a naturalistic landscape. Gradually as the pathway through the garden progress and opens up, and the space becomes more garden, less landscape, and the same stone changes its appearance through various forms of masonary. A spectacular flight of steps was created from three boulders and an oven plinth, and hidden foundation stone to support the weight of the oven, are formed of a fourth. The gently tumbled dry stone walling set to a gentle batter offers the perfect seating circle.

Such a privilege to be able to work with individuals who know and love stone. And so much fun to be had searching for those perfect pieces in giant holes in the ground and piles of the stuff, no matter the weather.

Thank you to All Green Group for their support of this garden and accepting all the challenges we threw their way!

#mastersinstone #naturalstone #drystonewall #gardendesign #chelseaflowershow #stonemason #steps #chelseaflowershow

Time to show some love for the amazing partners wh

Time to show some love for the amazing partners who helped us make our silver medal award winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.

First up @clayworksclayplasters

From technical support, samples, mocks ups to the real thing, Clayworks supported us through the process. The incredible warmth of colour and rustic finish of the natural clay and straw plaster really did transport the Sanctuary for Survivors garden to warmer climbs and invoke happier memories of homelands for survivors of torture.

Garden codesigned with @senselessaob for @freedomfromtorture supported by @project.giving.back and built by @livinglandscapesuk

Images my own and @aguittenyphoto

#showgarden #chelseaflowershow2024 #chelseaflowershow #rhschelsea #gardenwalls #sanctuaryforsurvivors #freedomfromtorture

Sustainability Part 1 Are show gardens sustainable

Sustainability Part 1
Are show gardens sustainable?

Whilst an event that hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world can probably never be truly sustainable, as designers and landscapers we are working hard with RHS Chelsea to ensure our gardens demonstrate and inspire the best sustainable practices in the industry.

What goes on below the ground is just as important as what goes on above it.

We are using ground screws to secure our boundary. This means no concrete foundations (we are a cement free garden), minimal impact on the soil and the groundscrewws will all be removed and reused after the show (we are a waste free garden). They also mean less time and labour digging.

Groundscrews can be used for all sorts of garden applications including shed foundations and securing pergolas.

Surely this is the way forward....

#rhschelsea #chelseaflowershow #showgarden #sustainability #landscaping

Storytelling with Plants Part 1 Every plant in th

Storytelling with Plants Part 1

Every plant in the Freedom From Torture Garden: A Sanctuary For Survivors tells a story. Collectively the plants are all survivors of the plant world. Drought tolerant and suited to low fertility soils these are resilient plants that have adapted to survive hostile environments.

The garden will showcase these plants, chosen and inspired by survivors of torture, to evoke happier memories of homelands far away. And we are lucky enough to have a world class nursery in @bethchattogardens who knows these plants better than most, growing them just for us. A perfect partnership.

A fantastic day was had by the super talented planting team for the garden at the Beth Chatto Gardens getting to know the plants and their stories. What a privilege. Thank you to the whole team there who are not only making this happen but bringing more than a little magic to the process.

#SANCTUARYFORSURVIVORS
#showgarden
#chelseaflowershow2024
@the_rhs
@rhschelsea
@senselessaob
@project.giving.back
@freedomfromtorture
@lukefoygardens
@graceaxongardens
@woodlarkist
@victorialeggegardendesign

A little gem of a garden that we're very proud of

A little gem of a garden that we're very proud of in print in the Society of Garden Design Journal @societyofgardendesigners

Photography by Annaik Guitteny @aguittenyphoto

#smallgardens #smallgardendesign #smallgardenideas #gardendesign #gardencurves #gardenbench #gardensteps #cantileverstairs #cantilever #plantingdesign

Inspirational South Africa @boschendal

Inspirational South Africa @boschendal

Instagram post 18018624581017897

Instagram post 18018624581017897

What a difference a year makes - epic lush growth

What a difference a year makes - epic lush growth in this garden now being cared for by @equinox_garden

#citygarden #citygardening #urbangarden #lushgarden #gardeninsta

Materials coming together @allgreengb for the 'San

Materials coming together @allgreengb for the 'Sanctuary For Survivors' Garden in aid of @freedomfromtorture heading for #chelseaflowershow2024 . Spot our project mascot @theadventuresofalfiedog in charge of all final decisions and technical specifications...

Anyone know what this little chap is? We'll be tel

Anyone know what this little chap is? We'll be telling his story over the coming months along with those belonging to individuals supported by @freedomfromtorture through our garden at @the_rhs #chelseaflowershow2024 with thanks to @project.giving.back for making it happen.
#sanctuaryforsurvivors #survivors #sanctuarygardens #chelseaflowershow #showgarden @senselessaob

Breaking up this petite space in Dulwich with buil

Breaking up this petite space in Dulwich with built in furniture and evergreen planting worked so well.
#smallgarden #smallgardenideas #claypavers @chelmervalley #loquats @provendernurseries

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