RHS Sandringham Flower Show 2026
Long border dedicated to medicinal plants designed by David Congram and João Teixeira Afonso for the RHS
The forthcoming Ladywell Physic Garden’s first herbaceous border will be exhibited to the public at the RHS Sandringham Flower Show, 22-26 July 2026.
The designers are honoured to have their debut design selected for judging.
Designers
David Congram and João Teixeira Afonso
Featuring
Sculpture by Lucy Page
Pharmacopoeia by João Teixeira Afonso
Illustrations by Mateo Costa
This garden is generously supported by London Borough of Lewisham
Modern medical research and local medieval lore
Consider this garden your herbal medicine dispensary for the near future.
Following UK Health Security Agency investigations, we can better forecast the increasing intensity and prevalence of certain health disorders over the coming decades of climate change. The Ladywell Physic Garden, designed by gardener David Congram and herbalist-gardener Joao Teixeira Afonso, exclusively features medicinal plants to cover every body system, in an aged naturalistic setting, ready for tomorrow.
In preparedness for these healthcare predictions, and given the unpredictable environmental context, the design focuses on planting that can thrive – thereby reliably delivering aid – in erratic weather patterns and rising temperatures.
Drawing inspiration from medieval horticultural traditions of the herbularis – or, hortus medicus – The Ladywell Physic Garden's watery-toned, layered perennials, and its anchoring timeworn well buckets, are permanently sited in the grounds of Ladywell's ancient medicinal well, once frequented since the Middle Ages.
