Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022
Alzheimer’s Research UK Garden
(Bronze Medal Winner)
Originally planned for 2019, this garden was finally brought to life at the Hampton Court Garden Festival 2022. Designed for Alzheimer’s Research UK, it conceptually represented the impact of dementia.
The Challenge
Illustrate the experience of Alzheimer’s and dementia through garden design.
- Represent confusion and cognitive decline using structural elements.
- Show how the family dynamic changes when younger generations care for older ones.
- Use a woodland clearing as inspiration for the layout.
The Design Solution
- The garden featured conceptual, yarn-bombed ‘brain cells’, visually representing the confusion caused by dementia.
- The space was intentionally uncomfortable to walk through, before leading to calmer areas, mirroring the way individuals may sometimes “light up” and then retreat into confusion.
- The design highlighted how families adapt, taking inspiration from a woodland clearing where a fallen tree allows new growth.
The Result
The garden became a visually striking, immersive space, raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia while promoting the importance of research and support.
Fun Fact:
With the exception of the trees and yew topiary domes, all plants in this garden were grown by Ryan in his Falkirk garden and polytunnel before being transported to London for the show.
"My favourite garden was Ryan McMahon’s ‘Connections’ for Alzheimer’s Research UK, with a black ‘yarn-bombed’ framework contrasting strikingly with a wild and weedy planting of cow parsley, angelica and scabious."
Link to The Telegraph article here
