Kevin's Garden

My LA Grace, designer Julie and I attended a meeting at the Children’s Memorial Hospital with Maggie Daley to begin designing a small outdoor terrace space in memorial of her son Kevin Daley. The garden is planned to be an outdoor space where patients who are not well enough to leave the hospital can be out in the fresh air and feel the sunshine. Because it is a children’s hospital, a Children’s Advisory Board was founded with the belief that the patients should have a say in how the hospital is designed. We met with four members of the Advisory Board and presented some preliminary ideas for the space. Over the next hour or so, we discussed what the kids were looking for in the space like purpose, seating and plant material. Due to the small size of the garden, options were limited but a general consensus was reached with raised planters containing evergreens and boxwoods as well as bright, recognizable flowers. But the most important element that the kids wanted was a fire pit which they said would be “bigger than bingo” which is a very popular event for the patients staying in the hospital. Though Kevin’s Garden is not slated to be installed for a few seasons yet, everyone left the meeting enthusiastic about the possibilities for making the garden a relaxing and beautiful space.