The Connected, by EXANTE garden from 2022’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show has finally been relocated to its new home at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, where it’ll be a sanctuary for patients recovering from brain and spinal surgery, as well as staff and loved ones.
The Silver-gilt-winning garden will officially be opened to the public on 8 August during a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the hospital’s CEO, David Probert.
EXANTE, a global investment company, decided to donate the garden to the hospital as a thank you for the wonderful care that the hospital provided the company’s head of global PR, Simona Stankovska, who had brain surgery there in 2015.
Simona claims that her parents had nowhere to go whilst they waited anxiously for her to come out of the six-hour brain surgery, and feels that the garden will be a wonderful distraction and safe space for other families going through similar.
Designed by Taina Suonio and built by Oxford-based landscaping firm Nicholsons, the garden features a larger-than-life oak tree stump as its centrepiece. This has a skylight roof bordered with vegetation and duckboards leading in and out. It is surrounded by layered European woodland with serene colours. The innovative oak silhouette window on the front provides natural light and a view of the water feature. It is designed to show the connection between people, technology and nature.
The woodland setting makes Connected an integrated and tranquil space for people to connect.