Hi. I’m Emma, and this is my friend Pippa. Pippa runs Pippa Willcox Gardens. I am a full time NHS employee who is slowly edging towards the dream of a career in horticulture. Sometimes I am lucky
enough to work with Pippa, and in June, we created a long border for Gardeners World Live at the NEC. Sometimes I am lucky enough to work with Pippa, and in June, we created a long border for Gardeners World Live at the NEC.
The theme for the borders at BBC Gardeners World Live was Cultivating Connections. We chose to explore how gardens can be a place of peace, restoration and healing. We used recycled boards to create a path, split into two halves by a quiet, tranquil seating area for writing and creating.The path begins amidst a planting scheme designed to represent confusion, uncertainty, and fear. We wanted to capture negative emotions, and wrote some key emotive words onto the path.
The planting scheme was darker; some Smokebush (Cotinus Coggyria), Foxglove (Digitalis Purpurea) and Meliathus majored in this space, working together with some strategically positioned Astrantia to add pops of dark colour, with some ferns and grasses to add texture. Pippa had grown some amazing Sweet Peas which were the highlight of the garden, and these were placed in the, corners to mingle in between the rest of the planting. As you progress along the path, you arrive at a Hazel gate, and walk through into a small clearing with a community notice board made of Hazel, and table made skilfully by Pippa’s husband Neil out of reclaimed scaffolding boards. Here you can rest, recharge and write.
Allow the healing power of nature to penetrate your soul and restore you. We wanted to make this a community area, and encourage interaction with people visiting the show. We made some ‘take what you need’ seed paper planting strips which proved popular! We ran out after the first couple of hours! Perfect! We wanted so much for people to be able to engage with the garden and take ideas away for their own spaces; to realise that making a garden doesn’t have to cost the earth, and to spend time in it can be so restorative – the essence of the Quiet Garden Movement.

After leaving the seating area, we resume our journey along the path. Positivity stones and positive words and language build us up for the journey back into the world. Pippa and I enjoyed the experience of Gardeners World Live so much. It was a joy to spend the week working alongside other garden enthusiasts and we always enjoy spending time together! Planting seeds to flower in time for June flowering began in early January. It was challenging for us to estimate growing times because previous gardens we have done together have been in August; so this growing schedule and planting possibilities were completely different. This is how we grow and learn!
 Gardeners World Live was a brilliant experience, and I am in no doubt we will be back.
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