PUPILS at Penpont Primary School were last week planting bulbs which will be used at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show next year.
Once grown, they will form part of the Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden, above, at the event.
Joining the youngsters was one of the show garden’s designers, Duncan Hall from Burton Hall Garden Design. He worked with members of school’s Eco Explorers Club, helping them to plant the Camassia leichtlinii ‘Caerulea’ and Lilium martagon bulbs for the garden.
And it was his nephew, Penpont pupil Liam Hall-Romay, aged eight, who inspired the project. He and his family have been supported by the charity Down’s Syndrome Scotland throughout his life.
Rachel Hudson, who leads the school group, began by showing them the garden illustration, helping the pupils understand how the bulbs, once grown, would fit into the semi-wooded garden design, which features two main planting areas: one bright and colourful, and the other calmer and greener.
Over the coming months, the pupils will water and nurture the bulbs in the school garden. The goal is that by early May, the flowers will be nearly in full bloom before travelling nearly 370 miles to form part of the ‘Down Syndrome Scotland Garden’.
The designers hope the garden will highlight the qualities of people with Down’s syndrome and the issues they face in society. They said: “We want to challenge people to embrace the value and potential of people with Down’s syndrome as they have so much to offer us.”
After the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the ‘Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden’ will travel back to Scotland and be permanently relocated to Watch US Grow in Palacerigg Country Park in North Lanarkshire.
