‘Imperfections are what give us character’: a prickly garden to help teenagers blossom

Plants whose beauty is flawed carry a message in Children’s Society garden, a gold medal winner at Chelsea flower show Gardens do not have to be perfect to be beautiful – and neither do teenagers. That is the central message behind the Children’s Society garden, which has won a gold medal at this year’s RHS Chelsea flower show. And prickly poppies, a bird’s nest fern planted in a drain and verbascum arcturus, a delicate-looking yellow flower with hairy stems, are among the plants chosen to convey it – plants whose beauty is flawed. “The overlaying narrative of the garden is ‘beauty in imperfection’,” said the designer, Patrick Clarke. “Perfection is the most debilitating thing for young people because it’s something that is unattainable, and when they’re bombarded with images of perfection on social media … that is very, I think, threatening to people’s mental health.” He hopes the garden will show how imperfections are “what gives us character – and character is what makes us all different and what makes us all beautiful”. To enter, visitors must follow a slightly crooked path, avoid stepping on small plants that have been deliberately placed