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Wellbeing garden opens at one of Europe’s largest teaching hospitals

Mixed beds, edible planters and new seating areas have transformed St James’s University Hospital, Leeds into a green sanctuary

In the grounds of St James’s University Hospital in Leeds sits the new White Rose Wellbeing Garden. The RHS has worked in collaboration with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and award-winning garden designer Adam Frost to create a garden that provides a place to relax, reflect and socialise. The restorative space officially opened on 8 October 2025 and is already a popular destination among NHS staff, patients and visitors.

St James’s is internationally famous as one of Europe’s largest teaching hospitals and is home to the Bexley Wing, a state-of-the-art cancer centre that opened in 2008.

A peaceful green oasis

An all-weather shelter with a green roof is used for outdoor events 
“For me, this garden represents peace. I come here when I need to switch off and relax before going back to work in a very busy environment. The other day I had a sniff of the mint growing in one of the planters and it just felt so refreshing,” said Amna Amjad, team leader in the Recruitment Department at St James’s University Hospital. She is just one of the many employees who regularly visit the wellbeing garden for lunch, a walk or a chat.

Set outside the Trust Headquarters, the building of the garden started in March 2025 and was completed in July with planting sessions that involved dozens of local volunteers and NHS staff. Although the garden officially opened on 8 October 2025, hospital staff and visitors have enjoyed it throughout the summer.

When I feel overwhelmed, I come here to sit down. There’s nothing else nearly as peaceful.

Jordanne Hardy, Biomedical Scientist, Microbiology Department
The site includes a communal area with picnic tables, a ‘reflective’ corner where single seats, trees and ornamental shrubs create a secluded environment and a ‘productive’ space equipped with edible planters and an all-weather shelter complete with green roof.

A south-facing bed has also been planted with herbs and plants such as yarrow and fennel, some of which were repurposed from the RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse 2025.

A communal area with picnic tables can be enjoyed for lunch or a chat
A south-facing bed benefits from the protection of the hospital building

Supporting people and wildlife

The White Rose Wellbeing Garden features accessible paths and climate-resilient planting, chosen to thrive in the site’s south-east facing position as well as under extreme weather conditions, with species including Acanthus, Alchemilla and hellebores.

To support biodiversity, the pre-existing mown lawn has been transformed into a complex garden habitat with over 200 square metres of mixed beds. New trees and specimen shrubs have been planted, comprising species selected for maximum benefit to wildlife. Among them, crab apple, hemp agrimony​ and hyssop attract large numbers of pollinators.

Pollinator-friendly plants, like hyssop, boost the garden’s biodiversity
New trees have been planted to suit the local habitat and climate change
A mix of native trees, such as hazel, spindle and field maples, and non-native species, like ginkgo and sea buckthorn, provide year-round structure and interest. A hawthorn – a tree often associated with resilience – has been erected with a special plaque in memory of those who have been lost to suicide.

Many edibles, including gooseberries, rhubarb, mint, lime balm, rosemary and sage, already populate the garden and dye plants will soon be added to planters and beds. Valerian, evening primrose, lemon verbena, chamomile and other medicinal plants pay homage to the adjacent Thackray Museum of Medicine, the UK’s largest independent medical museum.

The Bexley Wing, where we work, only has a concrete terrace and very few windows. It’s great to have a garden we can enjoy.

Frances Mossey, Milly Cook and Martina De Salvador, Clinical Haematology

Nurturing wellbeing through plants

NHS staff enjoying a break on one of the many new seats in the wellbeing garden
The new Leeds wellbeing garden was designed with mental and physical wellbeing in mind. NHS staff were involved in the design through a consultation process that started in April 2023 to ensure the garden addressed the needs of both staff and patients. RHS Ambassador Adam Frost, who has won seven Gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, created the concept design and the planting scheme. The design was further developed by RHS Senior Landscape Architect Magdalena Firganek-Fulcher.

Being able to support NHS staff and patients in this way means the world to me. I hope the garden provides people with a chance to connect with nature and that it attracts new visitors like bees and butterflies, too.

Adam Frost, Garden Designer and RHS Ambassador
Monthly workshops run by Alex Bergin and Alison Varley from the RHS Community Outreach team take place in the wellbeing garden and include bulb planting, making bee homes and botanical-inspired watercolour painting. These sessions aim to engage and upskill the hospital’s staff and are also delivered by partners such as Season Well. Tracey Crowther, Lead Nurse of Research, is a regular attendee. “This past year has been challenging, but having the garden project to focus on and the workshops to attend has made things much more manageable and uplifting,” she said.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Season Well led a successful pilot project to support St James’s employees’ mental health, alongside Olivia Kenyon, NHS Speech and Language Therapist. Becky Mears and Viv Hargreaves from the social enterprise spearheaded it by creating six raised beds. The seed of their ideas has now expanded into the White Rose Wellbeing Garden.

From left to right, Alex Bergin, Viv Hargreaves, Alison Varley and Becky Mears
The opening ceremony of the wellbeing garden at St James’s University Hospital
RHS Director General Clare Matterson said: “Gardens aren’t just about plants, they are about people. They help us connect, take a breath and feel better. Even the smallest patch of green can lift spirits and spark conversation and it’s wonderful to see this happening in a place where it’s most needed. This garden is a really special addition to the hospital grounds.”

A social hub for the community

A gardening club meets every week to maintain the green space
The local community will also benefit from this space. In September, a gardening club was set up by the RHS Community Outreach team to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the wellbeing garden. NHS staff, patients and local residents take part in activities such as weeding, tidying or making plant labels.

They will work alongside the hospital Estates team to care for the garden as it grows. Local enterprises are also involved, including The PIECES Project, Sunflower ESOL, Feel Good Factor, Gipton Growers, Mafwa Theatre and Season Well.

One of the volunteers, Ian Warrington, said: “Working in the garden for 45 minutes every week gives me something different to focus on. With soil under my nails, I can look at it and say, I did that. This place is like an oasis for me.”

The White Rose Wellbeing Garden and its accompanying programme of activities are being funded separately from the allocations to NHS healthcare delivery. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of those who donated and funded this project. Our heartfelt thanks goes to the Leeds Hospitals Charity, Oak Foundation, The Julia Rausing Trust, Peter Sowerby Foundation, The Marks Family Charitable Trust and Lord Barnby’s Foundation,” said Sarah Galvin, Head of National Community Programmes at the RHS, who also contributed to the project.

Support NHS wellbeing gardens

Help us build and grow NHS wellbeing gardens around the country by donating today. Your gift will help us realise our vision to create safe and welcoming green spaces for hospitals and their local communities. From providing quiet respite areas to reflect, to active gardening groups bringing people together, the NHS wellbeing gardens will bring a vital boost to the wellbeing and environment at NHS hospitals.

You can donate online, or call 020 7821 3125.


In spring 2026, the RHS will launch a blueprint for wellbeing gardens. Based on scientific research and real-life examples, it’s designed to help people create gardens that support wellbeing – whether at home, in the community or in organisations.
 
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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.