The 4Head Garden of Dreams - Silver Gilt

Silver Gilt medal garden by Marney Hall and Heather Yarrow. A dreamy, peaceful garden planted with species chosen for their calming and soporific properties, the 4Head Garden of Dreams illustrates the stress-relieving properties of plants. The garden promotes the role of Mentha x piperata in 4Head as an effective natural treatment for headaches.

Garden Description

This garden is set in secluded, tranquil woodland and protected by a thorny hedge from harsh realities beyond. A small brook emerges from shaded tree roots to meander through a sunlit glade towards a large central pool, which surrounds an island. On the island is a stunning 'living' sculpture, which is a dreaming girl composed of mud, twigs, grasses and plants. The dreaming girl is inspired by the famous 'Mudmaid' from the Lost Gardens of Heligan and created by her sculptors, Sue Hill and Peter Hill of the Eden Project.

The pool is bordered by open meadow, with profuse use of plants selected for the calming properties of their perfume and their subdued colours. With plants such as vervain, borage, lavender and chamomile, the palette is limited to blues, mauves, white, the palest of yellows and green.

Many of the herbs that will be used in this garden are known to possess medicinal benefits. Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) has calming properties, wild marjoram (Origanum vulgare) will lift spirits and calm nerves and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is a mild anaesthetic and is used to induce sleep.

Plant list: (click on any of the green below to read more about the plant and to add to your own 'Plants I want' list)

Flower beds

Angelica - Angelica archangelica - Nervous headache
Bergamot - Monarda fistulosa - Lifts depression
Borage - Borago officinalis - Calming
Catnip - Nepeta cataria - Dreams (hallucinogenic)
Evening primrose - Oenothera biennis - Calming, lifts depression
Fennel - Foeniculum vulgaris
Feverfew - Tanacetum parthenium - Headache
French tarragon - Artemesia dracunculus - Induces sleep
Greater mullein - Verbascum thapsus - Analgesic and sedative
Heartsease - Viola tricolor - Lifts the spirits 'Mends a broken heart'
Henbane - Hyocyamus niger - Induces drowsiness, analgesic, sedative
Hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis - Tonic for the nervous system
Indian basil - Ocimum basilicum 'Horapha nanum' - Stress relief
Jacob's ladder - Polemonium caeruleum - Headache, calming
Lavender - Lavandula dentata - Calming, induces sleep
Lemon balm - Melissa officinalis - Lifts depression, calming
Lemon verbena - Aloysia triphylla - Lifts the spirits
Wild marjoram - Oreganum vulgare - Lifts the spirits, calms the nerves
Sweet marjoram - Oreganum majorana - Lifts the spirits
Melilot - Melilotus alba - Induces sleep
Mugwort - Artemisia vulgaris - Mild anaesthesia, induces sleep
Opium poppy - Papaver somniferum - Induces sleep and dreams(hallucinogenic)
Rue - Ruta graveolens - Calming
Sweet cicely - Myrrhis odorata - Lifts the spirits
Vervain - Verbena officinalis - Induces sleep
Viper's bugloss - Echium vulgare - Headache

Hedgebank and woodland

Angelica - Angelica sylvestris
Aquilegia - Aquilegia vulgaris
Aquilegia - Aquilegia 'Songbird'
Bittersweet - Solanum dulcamara - Calming
Black horehound - Ballota nigra - Calming
Bluebells - Hyacinthoides non-scriptus
Cow parsley - Anthriscus sylvestris
Foxgloves - Digitalis purpurea 'Alba' - Heart disease
Gladwin iris - Iris foetidissima - Calming
Greater stitchwort - Stellaria holostea
Ground ivy - Glechoma hederacea - Headache
Herb Robert - Geranium robertianum - Calming
Honesty - Lunaria annua 'Alba'
Ivy - Hedera helix - Headache
Lily of the valley - Convallaria majalis - Lifts the spirits
Mugwort - Artemesia vulgaris - Mild anaesthesia, induces sleep
Periwinkle - Vinca major - Calming
Periwinkle - Vinca minor 'Alba' - Calming
Primrose - Primula vulgaris - Induces sleep
Solomon's seal - Polygonatum multiflorum
Sweet violet - Viola odorata 'Alba' - Analgesic
Sweet woodruff - Galium odoratum - Induces sleep
Vervain - Verbena officinalis - Nervous exhaustion, headache
Wake Robin - Trillium grandiflorum
White campion - Silene alba
White dead nettle - Lamium album - Lifts depression
Wild garlic - Allium ursinum - Calming
Wood anemone - Anemone nemorosa - Headache
Wood sage - Teucrium scorodonia
Wood spurge - Euphorbia amygdaloides

Ferns

Bracken - Pteridium aquilinum - Dreams
Lady fern - Dryopteris filix-femina
Male fern - Dryopteris filix-mas

Grasses

Snowy woodrush - Luzula nivea
Tufted hair grass - Deschampsia cespitosa
Pendulous sedge - Carex pendula
Wood false brome - Brachypodium sylvaticum
Wood millet - Milium effusum
Wood rush - Luzula sylvatica
Wood small reed - Calamagrostis epigeios

Trees and shrubs

Alder - Alnus glutinosa - General tonic
Ash - Fraxinus excelsior - Dreams
Dog rose - Rosa canina - Rose oil used as base in many preparations
Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea
Elderberry - Sambucus nigra - Headache
Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna - Reduces blood pressure
Hazel - Corylus avellana
Lime - Tilia cordata - Induces sleep, calming, headache
Guelder rose - Viburnum opulus - Muscle relaxant
Honeysuckle - Lonicera periclymenum - Analgesic
Mistletoe - Viscum album - Reduces blood pressure
Oak - Quercus robur
Privet - Ligustrum vulgare - Headache
Pussy willow - Salix caprea - Analgesic

Wetland

Angelica - Angelica archangelica - Headache, relaxing
Bergamot - Monarda fistulosa - Lifts depression
Black peppermint - Mentha piperita - Headache, calming
Bugle - Ajuga reptans - Mildly narcotic
Butterburr - Petasites hybridus - Headache, calming
Deadly nightshade - Atropa bella-donna - Sedative, narcotic
Gipsywort - Lycopus europaeus - Sedative, calming
Iris - Iris laevigata 'Snowdrift'
Meadowsweet - Filipenula ulmaria - Pain relief
Monkshood - Aconitum napellus 'Ivorine' - Induces sleep
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis - Induces sleep
Water avens - Geum rivale
Water mint - Mentha aquatica - Lifts depression
Water soldiers - Stratiotes aloides - Calming
Greater pond sedge - Carex riparia
Hop sedge - Carex pseudocyperus
Pendulous sedge - Carex pendula
Reed sweet-grass - Glyceria maxima
Soft rush - Juncus effusus

Short meadow

Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile - Headache, calming, induces sleep
Cowslip - Primula veris - Sedative
Daisy - Bellis perennis
Heartsease - Viola tricolor
Lady's slipper - Cypripedium calceolus var. pubescens - Relieves stress and tension
Marjoram - Origanum vulgare - Headache
Pasque flower - Pulsatilla vulgaris - Calming and stress relief
Red clover - Trifolium pretense - Sedative
Salad burnet - Sanguisorba minor - Lifts depression
Self-heal - Prunella vulgaris - General tonic
Skullcap - Scutellaria galericulata - Sedative
St John's wort - Hypericum perforatum - Sedative, analgesic
White clover - Trifolium repens - Sedative
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium - Lowers blood pressure

Pennyroyal - Mentha pulegium - Calming
Fescue (fine grass) - Festuca rubra
StumperyFern - Dryopteris filix-femina
Hops - Humulus lupulus - Induces sleep
Honeysuckle - Lonicera periclymenum - Pain relief
Ivy - Hedera helix - Headache
Jasmine - Jasminium grandiflorum
Passionflower - Passiflora caerulea - Sedative