The link between a healthy landscape, a healthy gut and a healthy mind

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

The Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden designed by Sid Hill and Chris Hull, explores the fascinating link between a healthy landscape, a healthy gut and a healthy mind.

Approximately, three quarters of the population in Britain are at risk of bowel disease due to the lack of variety in their diet. The Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden which features a pioneering edible meadow, aims to address this by inspiring people to rewild their diets, their gardens and their relationship with the land.

Talented young designers and RHS Chelsea debutants Sid Hill and Chris Hull, have drawn inspiration for the garden design from medical and botanical research, focusing on the connection between the ecological health of a landscape and the health of our own gut flora. Informed by ancient cultures that tend and harvest the local landscape, Sid and Chris have designed a beautiful and diverse garden that harnesses edible plants and the gut and soil microbiomes all working together synergistically to improve both our overall physical and mental health.

Pioneering Edible Meadow

The planting scheme takes inspiration from wild meadows, with a mix of ornamental grasses such as Deschampsia cespitosa, Sesleria autumnalis, Briza media and Hordeum jubatum, which combine with edible perennials to offer a harvest for both people and wildlife. The pioneering ‘edible meadow’ combines a selection of feature plants including Persicaria Bistorta, Camassia quamash and Lupinus luteus, to create a rich tapestry of yellows, blues and pinks. This trio of beautiful plants are commonly grown in gardens across the UK, but few people know that they are great food crops too and they could offer a myriad of gut health and microbiome benefits. For the full plant list click here

Hand Crafted Sculptural Features

The Bowel Research UK Microbiome Garden features an oak sculptural wall which has been hand carved and scorched by Sid, Chris and the team from Atlantes Landscapes, to provide a striking physical metaphor for the human bowel. The wall meanders through the rear of the garden and coils around a hexagonal timber shelter ‘The Hive’, made by the team from Douglas fir and Cedar to provides a space where people can gather to prepare food or take refuge from the elements.
A boardwalk, made from Devon grown and milled oak, leads through the meadow and three bee skep hives emerge from the woodland-edge. The skeps have been traditionally crafted using biodynamic cow manure, creating habitats for bees, attracted to the rich floral display of the meadow, providing a source of honey, which is recognised as a natural pre-biotic for the gut microbiome.

The Design Duo

Sid Hill who has 15 years of experience of managing a landscape business and holds a 1st Class Honours degree in Ethnobotany & Landscape Design from the Eden Project, said: “Current science indicates that cultivating plants in ecologically rich environments fosters diverse microbial communities. Including these plants in our diet facilitates the transfer of beneficial microbes to our digestive system and human microbiome, promoting a healthy bowel and overall physical well-being.”
Chris Hull, who has over 16 years’ experience working in horticulture and garden design and who is also a regular presenter on the hit BBC TV show Garden Rescue. said: “Studies show that mental health issues such as anxiety and depression could be prevented and treated by creating a healthy balance of gut flora. It’s no secret that just being in green space can improve your mental well-being, but what’s better than using beautiful, ecologically rich plants which have pro and prebiotic benefits too.”

Bowel Research UK, which supports early career medical researchers, are delighted to be collaborating with designers who are creating their first garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Lynn Dunne, Chief Executive Officer of Bowel Research UK, said: “We are so excited to have our first RHS Chelsea garden this year, thanks to the generosity of Project Giving Back. Our garden has a direct link to the research we fund into the gut microbiome, including a recent study by the research team at Imperial College that opens up the very exciting prospect of being able to offer precision medicine for bowel cancer patients around their individual gut microbiota. Moreover, there is so much more to discover about the effects of the microbiome on bowel disease outcomes which is why we are keen to support more research projects in this field and we have launched a *£250-thousand-pound grant appeal for further research into the human gut microbiome in 2024.” – In conjunction with RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Bowel Research UK has launched an appeal for major donations to create a ringfenced pot o for researchers to apply for PhDs or small grants for research on the gut microbiome. More information can be found here.

A Lasting Legacy – Garden Relocation

Following RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden will be relocated to the Apricot Centre in Totnes, Devon, which runs a sustainable farm helping children and families understand the fundamental link between the wellbeing of the soil, food and habitat, and the mental and physical health of the people who work in and around its farm.

Hear the Sound of Healthy Soil

Bowel Research UK has worked with Real Chemistry and GAS Music Ltd to create a short film where viewers can hear the sound of healthy soil and renowned microbiome author Mr James Kinross in conversation with Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed describing the benefits of healthy soil on the human gut microbiome and our individual health. To view please click here