Designed and drawn by Austin Design Works in collaboration with Ruskin Mill Trust.
Ruskin Mill Trust is delighted to be collaborating with Austin Design Works at the RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026 to create an Artisan Woodland Craft Garden.The garden will offer a welcoming, hands‑on space where visitors can experience the Trust’s approach to learning through nature, craft and practical skills.
The garden will reflect the Trust’s Practical Skills Therapeutic Education (PSTE) method, which creates an environment where students learn through craft, work with natural materials, and develop their skills in a calm, supportive setting. At the heart of the garden is the simple idea of using materials from nature and learning to shape them by hand into useful objects. Through this process, students develop practical skills, patience and a stronger connection to themselves, others and the natural world.
The garden provides a gentle, supportive setting for this kind of learning, and it is inspired by the hills and valleys around Ruskin Mill College in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. The design is based on the feel of a well‑cared‑for woodland edge, with hazel coppice, open clearings and layered planting.
Students from Ruskin Mill College will play a key role in bringing the garden to life. They will help gather plants from the college’s farm, pot them on, and prepare them for the show. This involvement reflects the Trust’s belief in learning by doing, where confidence, independence and wellbeing grow through meaningful, practical work.
Following the flower show, the Trust will relocate the garden to Grace Garden School in Bristol, where it will continue to support students’ outdoor learning experiences.
The garden has been designed by Rachael Austin, Chartered Landscape Architect and Director of Austin Design Works Ltd, working closely with Ruskin Mill Trust to reflect its values and educational approach.
If you would like to view the garden or visit the RHS Badminton Flower Show 2026, you can purchase tickets here.
