TV gardener plans hospital garden

The project will finish at the end of October 2009

A television gardener has created plans for a new courtyard for terminally ill patients and their families at a hospital in Surrey.

Garden designer Diarmuid Gavin is to transform an overgrown courtyard at Frimley Park Hospital into a secluded and peaceful garden.

The garden will take six to eight weeks to complete and is due to be finished by the end of October 2009.

The project is partly funded by the King's Fund charity.

Mr Gavin's design includes a "floating" hedge of trees around the perimeter of the garden.

'Simple beauties'

Mr Gavin said: "I wanted to create a beautiful garden where there was a clear relationship between nature and man, bearing in mind how the users of the garden would be viewing everything with very intense eyes.

"From my own experience, I know how important privacy and comfort are when long hours are spent day and night in hospital during the final days of someone's life when you need to be close.

"Places to be alone or areas to gather as a group are valuable facilities.

"And to have these available surrounded by the simple beauties of nature, I can appreciate how that could ease such terrible times."