RHS Back to Nature Design Workshops

Davies White Ltd partnered with HRH The Princess of Wales and the RHS in 2019 to co-create the Back to Nature Garden. Central to the design was a design-charrette-style participatory process: using natural materials, sensory planting, model-making and rapid sketching to involve children and visitors. The scheme promoted outdoor exploration and imaginative play rooted in sensory experience and wellness.

The garden’s engagement workshops tackled plant blindness and nature-deficit disorder by inviting children to explore scent, texture, colour, and taste through playful planting. Model-making and hands-on sensory activities helped foster deeper awareness and appreciation of the natural world. These co-creative sessions encouraged families to spend time outdoors, supporting wellbeing, curiosity, and a lasting emotional connection to plants and place.

Completed:  2018 Client: RHS Garden Wisley   Budget:  £6K

Applying a charrette approach, Davies White facilitated multi-day, workshop-based sessions and feedback loops. Children, families, and RHS staff shared ideas via planting sessions, model-making, and planting exploration. We sketched, revised and tested concepts over iterations; ensuring design evolved in dialogue with users, building trust and ownership while tackling plant blindness and supporting nature exposure.