Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden

Cancer Research UK Legacy Garden, RHS Malvern Show 2022

We are delighted to announce that the Cancer Research UK Legacy garden has scooped a hat-trick of awards at the RHS Malvern Show 2022, winning a silver-gilt, the much-coveted People’s Choice, and also best construction.

Sophie Parmenter Studio was commissioned to create two very different planted areas for the two halves of this walk-through garden, and narrowed the brief further to only include plants which had been shown in research to include compounds which demonstrated anti-carcinogenic potential.

The first half of the garden immersed the visitors in a vibrant tapestry of planting, using the palette of colours from the Cancer Research UK logo. An incredible variety of plant form, leaf shape and floral colour was selected to represent the diversity of legacy gifting - people who leave donations to Cancer Research UK in their wills.

Visitors were then led through to a second area, where a minimal palette of greens and white were chosen to represent the clinical research funded by legacy gifting. By including some impressively mature Sorbus commixta ‘Dodong’ and a selection of larger flowering shrubs, we were able to create a space which enclosed the visitors, sheltering them from the crowds & noise of the show ground, and creating an area which felt calm and relaxing.