A garden to commemorate the life and work of the late Queen Elizabeth II is currently in plans by the Royal Parks. The memorial garden will give new life to a former plant nursery and transform it into a tranquil space blooming with plants and flowers significant to her late majesty.
It’ll still be quite a while until we’ll get to enjoy the garden as it is due to open in 2026, to coincide with what would have been the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth. The plant nursery behind the Espresso Bar on the Broad Walk once grew and provided plants for London’s eight Royal Parks but has not been in use since 2018 when it was decommissioned and the task was left up to the plant nursery in Hyde Park.
The site will be demolished in Spring 2024 to make way for a two-acre garden with a large pond with a seating area, a pergola, and a straight central path, representing the Queen’s unwavering loyalty and service, cut through by meandering paths leading to various winding landscapes. A woodland fringe and lookout tower can also be seen in drawings for plans for the garden which will feature trees that are able to adapt to the climate of the country and be wildlife friendly.
London-based Landscape Architect HTA Design who previously designed award-winning landscapes, including the Jellicoe Water Gardens in Hemel Hempstead and the Bexhill on Sea Promenade have been appointed to design the new garden.
Andrew Scattergood, CEO of The Royal Parks, said: “This garden is a unique opportunity to transform grey to green and return two acres of beautiful green space to central London. The garden’s design will deliver horticultural excellence, along with significant benefits to nature. It will be a tranquil and reflective garden, the antithesis to the hustle and bustle of the city, and we hope that people will come and spend some quiet time there, enjoying the natural landscape and the wonderful year-round colour that the garden will provide.”