Silver Medal
This urban gravel garden celebrates the strength and resilience of those living with hidden disabilities and developmental disorders that require balancing day-to-day energy levels.
A wheelchair-accessible seating area is enveloped by structural planting, offering an escape from everyday sensory stressors. As an autistic individual living with a form of dysautonomia called postural hypotension, the designer wants to challenge visitors to think more inclusively and sustainably when creating their own spaces.
A variety of forms, colours, heights and textures reflect how neurodiverse people experience and respond to the natural world. Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' is fun to interact with, while Thalictrum 'Black Stockings' echoes the purple associated with PoTS, the UK's leading charity supporting individuals with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome.
Although the border primarily focuses on raising awareness of this often misunderstood condition and its co-morbidities, it ultimately champions the richness of human diversity.
