The Peoples Garden
The Story
A Garden Created by the Community
Unlike traditional Show Gardens built once and displayed for five days, The People’s Garden is alive with participation. Each day of the Show, a new garden is created by members of the public working alongside Valley Care team members – people living with disabilities who are empowered through meaningful employment.
The concept is beautifully simple yet profoundly impactful: nine striking corten steel planters arranged in a geometric kaleidoscope pattern (four diamond shapes, four square planters, and one circular centrepiece) become a canvas for daily creativity and connection.
How it works
Each morning, the garden beds are refreshed and replanted with a new design, new plant combinations, and new creative vision.
Show visitors are invited to actively participate – choose a plant and add it to the display alongside the Valley Care team. Speak with the team, learn about the plants you’re placing, and experience firsthand how gardening creates opportunities for meaningful work and social connection.
By the end of each day, a completely new garden has emerged – created by hundreds of hands working together. And the next morning? The process begins again.
It’s gardening as performance art. Community engagement as living sculpture. And most importantly, it’s proof that gardens aren’t just about plants – they’re about people.
Visit The People’s Garden
Throughout the five days of the Show (March 25-29, 2026), stop by The People’s Garden to:
Choose a plant and add it to the daily garden creation
Become part of the design alongside the Valley Care team
Learn about plants, design and planting techniques
Discover how gardening creates employment opportunities
Be inspired by what’s possible when community comes together
The garden you see on Wednesday won’t be there on Thursday. And that’s exactly the point.
Because just like the people who create it, The People’s Garden is always growing, always changing, and always full of possibility.
