The Garden at St Margaret’s House
The garden has been designed by Joe and Laura of Carey Garden Design Studio, in two parts; in June 2023, the 'Talitha Arts Garden', which won a gold medal and best in the 'All About Plants' category at the 2023 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, was rehomed here at SMH thanks to funding from Project Giving Back. The Careys then began to design the surrounding areas of the SMH garden to make it step-free. SMH were granted funding through the Veolia Environmental Trust to do this redevelopment work, and contracted RenewEL to do the landscaping. Completed in July 2024, the garden has had a total redesign over the past year and we are so excited to welcome Gallery Cafe customers and host events in this beautiful space. St Margaret's House & Talitha Arts share a partnership based on the ethos of the creative arts being a tool for social change and better mental wellbeing, so it is fitting that the 'Talitha Arts Garden' has a permanent home at St Margaret's House, where it can be enjoyed by the whole community and form a setting for arts and wellbeing activities. 
Here you can see aerial photos of the SMH garden, with the 'Talitha Arts Garden' situated in the middle, with the curved pathways, staging, and chrysalis sculpture. The 2024 areas of redevelopment are the step-free rotunda and the decking under our listed mulberry tree. There is now an accessible, step-free route through the garden: from the rear gate, along the decking and pathways, down through the 'Talitha Arts Garden', across the rotunda and into the Gallery Cafe. These photos were taken in July 2024, so the planting is less established - but you can see development in the large scale planting within the 'Talitha Arts Garden', see the photo gallery below for comparison. 
Illustration of the 'Talitha Arts Garden', by Joe Carey of Carey Garden Design Studio
Joe & Laura Carey, of Carey Garden Design Studio, sitting in the 'Talitha Arts Garden' at St Margaret's House at the end of the relocation planting
Looking through the planting and one of the two Prunus Serrula trees
Full view of the stage
The 'Talitha Arts Garden' at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show, where it won a gold medal and 'best' in the 'All About Plants' category
The 'Talitha Arts Garden' inside the pavilion at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show
The 'best' in the 'All About Plants' category plaque at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show
Chrysalis sculpture by Teucer Wilson in the 'Talitha Arts Garden'. Photo by Britt Willoughby Dyer
Illustration of the garden redevelopment by Joe Carey, or Carey Garden Design Studio.
Freshly planted areas around the rotunda - with the curved bench seating on the left and the pergola on the right
Porcelain butterflies, handmade by artist Naoko Tagai, in the 'Talitha Arts Garden'. Photo by Britt Willoughby Dyer
Decking area under the Mulberry Tree, with freshly planted areas surrounding the pathways
Ariel view of the whole garden. Freshly planted beds, it will be exciting to see how the plants establish and grow, transforming this space into a biodiverse green space
Ariel view of the 'Talitha Arts Garden', with some sections freshly planted and the decking and rotunda either side
All about the Plants!
Laura Carey, of Carey Garden Design Studio is all about the plants! Below you can see the beautiful colour palette and corresponding planting she has curated for the SMH garden. This is cohesive with the planting Laura designed for the ‘Talitha Arts Garden’.
Key information about the ‘Talitha Arts Garden’
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RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens funded by Project Giving Back need to be inspired by a charity; the work of the charity Talitha Arts has been the inspiration for this garden.
The 'Talitha Arts Garden’ is a celebration of the creative arts and its power to transform lives. It mirrors the work of Talitha Arts and their creative, therapeutic workshops for those who have experienced trauma and injustice. It is a planted canvas, a living installation that speaks of restoration through creativity.
The Talitha Art's logo is a butterfly, known for the miraculous transformation it undertakes in its lifecycle, as well as its inner strength to undertake the journey to bring and pollinate life everywhere it goes. This is reflected in the garden with the chrysalis sculpture hand carved from Rosal limestone by artist Teucer Wilson, and the porcelain butterflies handcrafted by artist Naoko Tagai.
More information about the work of Talitha Arts can be found on their website, click here to visit.
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Joe and Laura Carey, of Carey Garden Design Studio.
More information about their work can be found on their website, click here to visit.
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Project Giving Back funded fifteen Chelsea Flower Show gardens in 2023, including the ‘Talitha Arts Garden’.
Part of their funding stipulation was that the garden needed to be designed for a charity, and have a relocation site for the garden after the show.
Talitha Arts and Carey Garden Design Studio were introduced via one of Talitha Arts’ trustees. Talitha Arts then approached SMH as we established a strong working relationship with them as they deliver some of their workshops here, and our charitable ethos’ align.
More information about Project Giving Back can be found on their website, click here to visit.
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Yes, please do (it’s free!).
The ‘Talitha Arts Garden’ is part of the garden at SMH, accessed via the Gallery Cafe and a step-free route from Old Ford Road. You can enjoy plant-based food and drink from the Gallery Cafe whilst enjoying the garden.
Guided Tours:
Guided tours are available on request by our Operations Manager, Emily. Please email here to arrange your visit: emily@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
Key information about the garden at SMH
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Joe and Laura Carey, of Carey Garden Design Studio.
Following their gold medal winning 'Talitha Arts Garden' design, we commissioned Joe and Laura to redevelop the rest of the SMH garden so it has a cohesive look.
More information about their work can be found on their website, click here to visit.
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Yes, you can hire the garden in conjunction with the Gallery Cafe.
Please contact our Cafe Manager for further information and availability on: cafe.manager@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
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Veolia Environmental Trust funded the redevelopment of the SMH garden, to make it accessible with step-free access.
More information about Veolia Environmental Trust can be found on their website, click here to visit.
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Yes, please do (it’s free!)
During the day, the garden is primarily for Gallery Cafe customers; you can enjoy vegan food and drinks whilst taking in the view! The ‘Talitha Arts Garden’ sits centrally within the garden at SMH. We host a variety of events in the garden, please check out the What's On page of our website to find out more information.
Guided Tours:
Guided tours are available on request by our Operations Manager, Emily. Please email her to arrange your visit: emily@stmargaretshouse.org.uk
SMH are looking for people to join our Gardening Club, could that be you or someone you know?
The garden has been redeveloped over the past two years - last year saw the installation of the RHS gold medal winning 'Talitha Arts Garden', and this year has seen landscaping work to make the garden fully accessible.
Weeding and watering are two really important tasks that the garden needs, and we'd love to involve our community in the maintenance of the garden.
We hold monthly gardening meetups, the timings of which will change with the seasons - but we will also welcome anyone popping by for a short period of time, even 5 mins of weeding makes a huge difference in the overall upkeep of the garden!
The dates for the rest of the year are:
Wednesday 18th September, 4-7pm
Thursday 17th October, 4-7pm
Friday 15th November, 4-7pm
Wednesday 11th December, 4-7pm
Friday 17th January 2025, 4-7pm
If you are interested in volunteering your time to be part of the SMH Gardening Club, please get in touch with our Operations Manager, Emily, who can provide you with further information..
Special thanks to…
Katie’s Garden Plants - for growing the plants (in peat-free soil, as stipulated by the RHS).
Deepdale Trees - for growing the Prunus Serrula trees.
Bury Hill Landscape Supplies - for supplying the soil and bark mulch.
Millworks - for creating the sustainable ‘charred’ timber using their innovative heat pressed roller (rather than using gas to burn the wood). This timber can be seen cladding the retaining wall around the front corner of the ‘Talitha Arts Garden’, with one of the Prunus Serrula trees as the focal point.
Breedon Special Aggregates - for supplying the gravel that fills the staging areas.
All of the amazing volunteers who helped us plant both the ‘Talitha Arts Garden’ and the rest of the SMH garden during the 2024 redevelopment.