Queen Elizabeth II’s Memorial Garden To Feature “Her Sense Of Color and Fashion” Through Flowers

Queen Elizabeth II has been honored with statues, portraits, and memorials, but Regents Park in London is responsible for the United Kingdom’s keystone memorial garden for the late monarch. The Royal Parks, the charitable organization responsible for the upkeep of royal natural spaces throughout London, has dedicated a memorial garden near Regents Park’s headquarters, full of symbolism to remember Queen Elizabeth.

Head gardener Fiona Packe gave Hello! a first look at the space, sharing that the former fashion professional-turned-gardener “always admired the Queen.” Packe revealed how the late Queen’s fashion sense has shaped the garden, saying “she had such a resilience, and I loved her sense of colour and fashion, which we have tried to replicate with the bold colours of the flowers.” The plantings include lily of the valley, rosemary, and myrtle, which hold deep symbolism for the Queen and featured in the flowers at major events in her life, like her wedding bouquet and her funeral wreath.

“You will be able to see it grow and come alive with insects,” Peake said. “We really thought about the succession of bulbs, so it looks interesting throughout the whole year and we've got some nice references to the late Queen.” Of the garden’s legacy, Peake looks forward to the growth and development of the plants and flowers over time. “The plants will have deeper roots and be stockier and more robust.”

“We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock,” Packe said, reflecting on the garden’s design process. The Princess of Wales has been a vocal advocate of the power of nature, finding a "very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection" when surrounded by nature.

Reconnecting with nature reminded the Princess of Wales to “hold on to what connects us all,” something that the team behind Queen Elizabeth II’s garden is trying to replicate inside the hustle and bustle of London. “We’ve got such a great mix of people around Regents Park—tourists, locals and people from all sorts of different backgrounds. It’s such a calm and relaxing space and I’m looking forward to seeing how people use it.”