Jersey hospice to showcase Silent No More garden

Jersey Hospice Care has been chosen as one of the locations to showcase a flower display aiming to raise awareness of five gynaecological cancers.

The Lady Garden Foundation's Silent No More garden is designed to break down stigma and enable conversation by creating both intimate and more open spaces for people to talk.

Trees and plants started to be unloaded on Friday to be sorted in the yard at Andrew le Maistre Landscape gardeners, with the main part of the installation to take place on 2 June in the hospice gardens.

The Lady Garden Foundation which won gold at the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show, said the garden's form and planting subtly echoed the female body.

The foundation said the garden invited curiosity and encouraged open conversation about the five gynaecological cancers including ovarian, cervical, vulval, womb and vaginal.

It said: "These are cancers that, tragically, claim the lives of 21 women every day in the UK.

"Enabling these cancers to be talked about openly leads to early diagnoses that will ultimately save lives."

The garden was created in memory of Emily Plane who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 23 and passed away at the age of 28 in November 2023. Her mum, Penny helped create the garden.

Penny said when she saw the size of the trees at the Chelsea Flower Show, she knew she would need help to plant them.

She thanked the team and volunteers who were helping to put it together at the site.

"The trees and plants for Hospice have been delivered by a team from Jonathan le Maistre tree surgeries Ltd and will be planted in two beds by the entrance," Plane said.

There will be a seating area in place to encourage people to sit down and have a conversation about cancer.

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