Maggie's

About Maggie's

Maggie’s at The Royal Marsden opened its doors to visitors on Monday 14 October 2019 and was officially opened by The Duchess of Cornwall on Thursday 6 February 2020.

The garden which surrounds Maggie’s at The Royal Marsden has been designed by world-famous Dutch Landscape Architect Piet Oudolf to be the largest of all current Maggie’s centres. Piet’s work can also be seen across Europe, America, china and Scandinavia with one of his best-known achievements being ‘The High Line’ in New York where Piet transformed a dis-used, rusty elevated railway into the world’s first high level linear park now enjoyed by thousands of people. Piet has also designed the stunning public garden at Hauser and Wirth Art Gallery in Somerset.

Piet’s design involves a diverse palette of herbaceous plants. All of the 12,000 plants have been specially grown over 20 months by Orchard Dene Nurseries in Oxfordshire who have been responsible for planting them in accordance to Piet’s planting plans.

The garden has different zones; some enjoying full sun, others in dappled shade, whilst the entrance pathway from the hospital meanders under mature trees and remain in full shade throughout the day. Plant communities are carefully matched to each aspect: 14 different grasses are involved, a palette of 6 hardy ferns and more than 50 different perennials. Many are unusual and are not commonly seen elsewhere.

Several easily identified features within the Maggie’s garden are typical signatures of Piet’s work and add to the enjoyment throughout the year.

* The use of grasses in large swathes to separate blocks of perennials, allowing the garden ‘to breathe’. Flowering grass heads catch the light and tremble under gentle wind currents to add a sense of movement to the scene. Look out for shimmering Seslaria autumnalis at the front of borders, and the aptly named Molinia ‘Transparent’ towering at the main entrance.

* This is a garden for all seasons, featuring plants carefully selected not only for their flowers, but for their ability to stand through the golden lights of autumn and into winter, retaining an interesting winter silhouette. This not only makes the garden more intriguing viewed from a window on a chilly winter’s day, but benefits wildlife, encouraging overwintering insects and birds to visit for food and shelter.

* There is also a good proportion of high nectar plants which will draw in passing bees and butterflies.

* Typically for a Piet Oudolf garden, blocks of plants occupy irregular amoebic shapes which interlock and enfold each other to offer attractive angled views of one plant through another.
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At 1pm and 3pm, join us for an exclusive talk and for an opportunity to hear the story of our garden’s design, construction and development, in conversation with Chris and Toby Marchant from Piet Oudolf’s Design Team and our gardener Marc O’Neill. Chris and Toby grew all the plants and worked with Piet Oudolf in planting out the garden.