This is about more than just going outside.
We're opening up opportunities for young people that are often left out of these spaces.
A garden for young people
Young people are facing a mental health emergency, with 1 in 5 of those aged 8-25 having a probable mental health condition.
The pressure is on. From school stress and rising living costs to long waits for support, many young people feel overwhelmed – and like they're being left to cope on their own.
But this pressure isn't felt equally. Our garden was created with the help of a diverse group of predominately Black and racially minoritised young people, who face additional barriers to being heard and accessing support – and are often left out of both mental health solutions and horticultural spaces.
Our Garden shines a light on what young people are facing and celebrates the power of community – sharing strength, creativity and resourcefulness to find a way through.
What's in the garden?
The garden brings together plant species from across the world, specifically designed to inspire young people growing up in the city.
It offers an opportunity for young people to come together in connection with nature and each other in a shared moment of collective self-care.
The diversity of the garden reflects the range of experiences young people bring to the space. It’s an expression of what makes each person unique, as well as how we can come together with a shared goal.
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Light and hope
Yellow flowers, the sole colour in the planting, echo the accents of YoungMinds’ brand and the light and hope it represents. The flowers burst forth from cracked, four-tonne boulders that symbolise the weight of the complex realities young people face today – and their strength growing around these struggles.
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Safety
Towering conifers create a sense of safety and enclosure, while their unique growth patterns mirror the nonlinear nature of recovery. A path of stepping pads allows young gardeners to walk through the space and take a moment to pause and interact with the habitat.
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Never alone
The space will be framed by a breeze block wall, mirroring the urban environment the garden will eventually settle in, and drawing your focus inwards. Each block in the wall will be filled with cob, a sustainable building material, which will provide a nesting material for bees. Over time, the wall itself will become its own buzzing community of insects and wildlife, ensuring the visitor/ gardener is never truly alone.
Young people have been involved in the garden’s creation, its journey, and will continue to shape its legacy.
Together, YoungMinds and Chase have created an “Introduction to Gardening” course for 16–25-year-olds, designed to show young people what is possible within a horticultural career – from weeding in South London to contributing to the biggest gardening event in the world.
After the show, we plan to work closely with youth groups to sustain the garden’s impact and continue its mission of inspiring and activating the next generation of young gardeners.
What will the garden bring to the community?
Chase Gardens bring their own experiences to the space – and we’ve worked closely with the team to ensure it’s an authentic expression of the realities that young people are facing today.
Working with the Community Land Trust and PEACH, Chase Gardens plan to use the space to host gardening sessions for young people. These will include incorporating growing plants for both their beauty and practical uses as an ingredient, garden design basics and rare plant identification.
Chelsea Flower Show typically relies on volunteers to bring their gardens to life – but all young people involved in our garden will be paid for their time and work.
Though the garden will begin its life at Chelsea, it will be relocated to Newham after the show where it will become a living, breathing, inclusive, outdoor community space – fully accessible to buggies, wheelchair users and people with physical mobility needs.
We know going outside won't solve everything.
But young people need spaces they can thrive in – wherever that might be.
