B&Q Sentebale ‘Forget-me-not’ Garden

Jinny Blom’s design is inspired by the charity Sentebale, which means “Forget-Me-Not” in Sesotho, the language spoken in Lesotho, Africa. HRH Prince Harry spent time in Lesotho during his gap year working with some of Lesotho’s most vulnerable children and orphans.

He felt compelled to help more and, in 2006, he founded Sentebale with Prince Seeiso of the Lesotho Royal family. The garden at RHS Chelsea has been designed to educate people about Lesotho’s‘Forgotten Kingdom’ and more importantly, Sentebale’s role in supporting Lesotho’s mostvulnerable children, many of whom are victims of extreme poverty and Lesotho’s HIV/AIDs epidemic.

The garden is a contemporary, conceptual evocation of the mountains, round houses and unusual blanket designs that are the national costume. It aims to express not only the beauty and rich culture, but also the inaccessibility and fragility of the country and its people.

The garden features textural planting and muted colours to paint a picture, using plants compatible with the conditions in Lesotho. The mountainous area of the garden will be planted with pines, to mimic the scrubby evergreen foliage found clinging sparsely to the mountains of Lesotho, and the silvery foliage of Hippophae rhamnoides, which can cope with the very varied conditions and colonises rough land.

It is under-planted with plants such as Acaena, Trifolium William, Silene fimbriata and Papaver glaucum.  The semi-dry conditions at the foot of the mountain are represented by Acaena and Papaver glaucum as well as Salvia species, Nemesia varieties and Myosotis arvensis (forget-me-nots).

Below the mountain, there is a damp valley. In Lesotho, mass deforestation is being ameliorated by planting willow in the valley delta, so old Willow pollards will create a silveryscreen in the garden, and accentuate the dampness.

Amongst these will be plants such as, Ajuga reptans, Anthriscus ‘Raven’s Wing', Astrantia species, Darmera peltata, Rheum palmatum, silene dioica, Cyperus species, Osmunda regalis and Myosotis arvensis.

Plant List

Zone A Dry

Acaena (spieces)
Pinus nigra
Hippophae rhamnoides multistem
Deschampsia flexuosa
Deschampsia cespitosa Garnet Schist
Papaver glaucum
Silene fimbriata
Stipa arundinacea
Trifolium repens 'William'
Zaluzianskya ovata
Zaluzianskya 'Semonkong'
Orlaya grandiflora
Tulbaghia violacea

Zone B Damp

Ajuga reptans
Ajuga reptans 'Catlins giant'
Anchusa azurea 'Dropmore'
Anchusa azurea 'Loddon Royalist'
Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'
Astrantia major alba
Astrantia major 'Claret'
Astrantia major 'Roma'
Astrantia Shaggy
Cenolophium denudatum
Galium odoratum
Iris sibirica 'Shirley Pope'
Iris sibirica 'Persimmon'
Ligularia dentata 'Desdemona'
Myosotis sylvatica Bluesylva
Myosotis sylvatica My oh My
Polygonatum x hybridum syn multiflorum
Rheum palmatum 'Atrosanguineum'
Rheum palmatum
Salix alba Pollards
Silene dioica
Tulbaghia violacea
Cyperus papyrus nana
Osmunda regalis
Myrrhis odorata

Zone C Mossy bed

Gunnera magellanica
Helxine soleirolii
Leptinella squalida
Selaginella helvetica
Myosotis My Oh My

Zone D  Drier / Front

Acaena ( spieces)
Myosotis sylvatica Bluesylva
Nemesia 'Innocence'
Nemesia denticulata 'Confetti 'AGM
Papaver glaucum
Trifolium repens 'William'
Zaluzianskya 'Semonkong'
Zaluzianskya ovata
Deschampsia flexuosa
Festuca gautieri
Stipa arundinacea
Stipa tenuissima var. oreophila Wind Whisper
Stipa tenuissima
Orlaya grandiflora
Tulbaghia violacea 'Fairy Star'
Tulhaghia violacea