Jekka McVicar's herb garden for hospice

JM: Absolutely, I'm over the moon and it's like all my dreams are sort of popping around me at the same time, but this garden is about all the herbs in it, which have been under scientific research recently, and it's just so exciting that people at last are listening to what our forefathers knew and researching those facts and then finding out whether it's true or not.

For example, when I was growing up, I was given a herb called bread and cheese and I'm sure no one will know what that means but that is hawthorn, Crataegus, the May-tree. And I was always given leaves as a child in sandwiches and my mom used to cook the berries as well and make teas from the flowers. It is now being proven that it is good for strengthening the heart and good for the circulation. So exciting.

I've got yew in the garden. That's taxus, Taxol. And Taxol is extracted from the yew and that's used with ovarian cancer and breast cancer. I've got woad, Isatis tinctoria. Now woad as you all know is a diet plant. Well that has been under a lot of research in Italy and they found it is better than broccoli. It's stopping tumors grow. Now, if they've also done research into it because the Chinese medicine is being used for mumps and for meningitis and treatment of. And they've just found out that it has a natural antibiotic. Now this is the Holy Grail. We've got to find the herbs that have got natural antibiotics because people are becoming immune to antibiotics.

I can go on and on. I've got celery leaf in there because of the use with arthritis. I've got feverfew because of migraines. I've got a St. John's wort for depression. I've got foxgloves digitalis, the heart. I've got valarian which knocks you out and makes you go calm and sleepy. I've got lemon balm to reduce stress. I've got rosemary for restoring the memory. I've got sage because of all its antiseptic property. I've got thyme, lots of thymes. I've done a centerpiece of this water bowl that is the symbol of life, water, and under it I've planted a thyme carpet.

I've got no corners in the garden. It's a square garden but the actual path is curved. Because if you're in a low mood and you're thoughtful, you're looking down and you don't want to have a crossroads. You want to have to go left, don't have to go right. You just follow your feet. So it's a circle and the paths are curved. I've got two benches in the garden and they're not opposite each other so you don't have eye contact with the person opposite you. And they're small, big enough for two just but they're small enough so that if you're suffering a bereavement or you've just been diagnosed and you want space, you don't feel that you're in a big space. And so I hope that this garden will give the hospice and the patients and the staff and the families of the patients somewhere to sit, to breathe and to be at peace. [Ed. note: You can follow the garden's progress on Instagram.]