AMAFFI Perfume House gifts scented garden to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a lasting thank you to staff

International luxury fragrance brand AMAFFI Perfume House has gifted an exquisite scented garden to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a lasting thank you to NHS staff.

Opened to staff and patients today, Friday 22 May, the plants and flowers of amazing beauty completely transform the hospital’s run-down outdoor space and provide a bright, cheerful and beautifully scented, plant-filled perennial garden, offering a sanctuary to lift the spirits of staff and patients alike.

AMAFFI made the decision to gift the garden to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a token of their gratitude for the selfless work of staff during the current pandemic. To repurpose the plants for the hospital garden, AMAFFI enlisted the expertise of RHS medal-winning plantsman and RHS Ambassador Jamie Butterworth, who runs Butterworth Horticulture. Jamie and his small team who are based in London, have been working around the clock this week to transform the large outdoor space into the luxurious and restorative garden. Ongoing complementary maintenance of the garden will be provided indefinitely to ensure it is always looking at its best for hospital staff and patients.

The inner courtyard has been completely transformed with large dramatic topiary domes and pyramids and several multi-stem trees including cornus, medlars and virburnum. The tree canopy has been underplanted with lush foliage and combinations of bright and scented flowering perennials including roses, dianthus, Iris, alliums, lupins and salvia and scented evergreen shrubs including sarcococca hookeriana and osmanthus, to provide year-round structure.  

A spokesperson from AMAFFI Perfume House said: “AMAFFI Perfume House sympathises with and cares for the millions of people affected by COVID-19 worldwide. Many Londoners suffered the consequences of this debilitating pandemic. We are hugely grateful to doctors, nurses and key workers who each day heroically put themselves at risk to save lives. AMAFFI Perfume House sincerely hopes this garden, as a magical present, gives joy and positive thinking and the flowers inspire with their beauty.”

Rob Hodgkiss, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I would like to say, on behalf of the Trust, a huge thank you to AMAFFI Perfume House for donating the garden to us. This is an incredibly kind and thoughtful donation of which we are truly appreciative. While not on show at the 2020 Chelsea Flower show, I’m sure if it was, it would have won a gold medal!

“This will be admired and enjoyed by our patients, families, staff and local communities during these incredibly unusual times and beyond. We have been humbled by the generosity of local business and the public throughout this pandemic and, although we’ve all experienced incredibly challenging times, a garden space to admire and connect with nature is great lift for us all.”