ALL too often in our gardens, the focus is simply on flowers. But what if you’re blind or partially sighted?
Is there a way you can enjoy your outside space just as much?
Paediatric nurse Rebecca Williams has designed show garden ‘Sensed, not seen’ for next week’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live Credit: Supplied
She was inspired by her dad, David Freeman, who had type 1 diabetes and developed diabetic retinopathy Credit: Supplied
Paediatric nurse Rebecca Williams thinks so. Even though she classes herself an amateur, she’s designed show garden “Sensed, not seen” for next week’s Gardeners’ World Live at the Birmingham NEC.
She was inspired by her dad, David Freeman, who had type 1 . He developed diabetic retinopathy and was registered blind.
“Sadly he died eight weeks ago”, Rebecca, 31, told Sun .
“But he knew all about my plan — which was inspired by him.
“He knew how much I’d raised. He knew all the plans for it. He was able to give me feedback on the ideas and everything, so I definitely wanted to still go ahead with it.
“My main idea was to celebrate the senses other than sight.
“So every decision I’ve made, I’ve thought of a blind or visually impaired person at the heart of it and what would be safe and accessible for them.
“I’ve made my pathways a little bit wider and in the middle there’s an interpretation planter that is going to be divided into four — taste, smell, touch and sound — and I’ve picked specific .
“For taste we’ve got strawberries, tomatoes and herbs.
“For sound there’s Helychrisim, aka straw flowers. For touch we’ve got bunny tails and for smell we’ve got some lovely pelargoniums ‘cola bottle’ and lemon.
“For people with vision loss but still some sight, we have got bold colour contrast like purple and yellow, which will give them the most chance of seeing.”
The mum of two, from Essex, added: “I’m not a designer, but I just had this idea in my head — I was really passionate about it.
“I would eat, and dream it. so I just I applied to Live. I thought, ‘Let’s go for the big one, let’s not do a border let’s do a showcase’.
“Now I’m going there and it’s all very real and very exciting.”
- To get tickets, head online to bbcgardenersworldlive.com.
Also in Veronica's Column this week....
Top tips, gardening news, Plant of the Week and a £450 garden bundle
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SAVE: WOW! The weeds are rampant following the sun and rain. Save your back with Argos’s £38 Fiskar’s Weed Pulleror go for The Range’s £14.99 manual weed puller.
WIN! JUST in time for summer, Vonhaus is giving away a table-top pizza oven and a charcoal barbecue bundle worth over £200.
To be in with a chance of winning, visit thesun.co.uk/summercomp or write to Sun Gardening Summer Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only.
- Entries close 11.59pm, June 27, 2026. T&Cs apply.
THIS WEEK’S JOB! IF you want spring bedding next year, think about planting now.
Try daisies, pansies and forget me nots. Just try not to pull them all up thinking they’re weeds.
ENJOY VIBRANT BLOOMS: British Flowers Week starts on Monday – the perfect excuse to ditch drab supermarket bunches and celebrate homegrown beauties.
Whether it’s a clever back-garden plot or acres of glorious fields, UK flower farms are bursting with gorgeous, vibrant blooms right now.
And fresh from their success at the Chelsea Flower Show, local growers want to show off what they do best.
At flowersfromthefarm.co.uk you can track down your nearest independent grower and support a hard-working indie business as well as discovering a little piece of heaven right on your doorstep.
Plus, you’ll get taller stems, intoxicating scents and blooms that are days fresher than shop-bought ones.
Happy picking.
PLANT OF THE WEEK! GET 20 per cent off these half-hardy Gerbera garvinea ‘Majestic Purple’ at thompson-morgan.Get 20 per cent off at thompson-Morgan.com/sunoffers . apply.
GIVE KIDS THE BUG: GET the kids and grandchildren off their screens and into the garden with Buzz: A Children’s Guide To Bugs And Bees And How To Spot Them.
Written by BBC Wildlife entomologist Richard ‘Bugman’ Jones and illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows, it’s the perfect way to introduce young readers to the insect world.
Ideal for ages seven to nine, but you could go lower if you wanted.
VISIT: TO mark Royal Flowers Week, the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London is hosting flower-themed Blooming British Afternoon Tea. See royallancaster.com .
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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