IOTA was delighted to support designer Tina Worboys in bringing to life her vision for the Alzheimer’s Society: Microbes and Minds Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
IOTA supplied the curved, amber-coloured aluminium sculptures and planters – and the timber benching – that form the structural backbone of the garden. As explained by Tina in her Design Proposal to the RHS:
“Inspired by the rural orchards of Worcestershire and Herefordshire, this garden tells the story of apple cider vinegar and its gut health benefits. At the garden’s heart stands a beautiful apple tree symbolizing ‘The Mother’, the naturally occurring culture of beneficial bacteria formed during fermentation. Surrounding it are high-gloss, curved sculptures inspired by amber glass bottles, designed to protect ‘The Mother’ and, metaphorically, the sitter within the intimate seating area, reflecting apple cider vinegar’s wellness benefits”.
From IOTA’s perspective, the brief raised two principal challenges – both relating to Tina’s vision that the sculptures and planters should look like the amber glass bottles that are needed to protect apple cider vinegar from light.
The easier of the two manufacturing challenges was to fabricate the aluminium sculptures and planters to the degree of perfection necessary to replicate glass.
The harder challenge was to deliver a bespoke decorative finish to capture the warmth, luminosity, and depth of authentic amber glass, whilst retaining the strength and durability of metal. This required the development of an entirely novel paint system, the exact details of which are proprietary; but which, in essence, is based on a multi-layer finishing process developed to create exceptional depth, translucency, and tonal variation. The resulting surface interacts dynamically with its environment, shifting in character according to light intensity, viewing angle, and surrounding reflections. Much like hand-blown amber glass, the finish reveals varying hues, highlights, and depth – ranging from warm golden honey tones to deeper burnt amber shades. Whilst further development work is still required, we feel that this novel system has the potential to offer a distinctive statement aesthetic for luxury interiors and exterior design applications.
The garden was sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Society, and it offers a unique opportunity to engage a broad and influential audience; help deepen understanding of dementia; and foster interest in the link between nature, brain health and the microbiome. Gardens have long been linked to dementia care, offering therapeutic benefits, evoking memories, and connecting people to nature; and, following the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Alzheimer’s Society: Microbes and Minds Garden will be relocated to a Hallmark Luxury Care Home.
With two decades of accumulated knowledge, our understanding of the requirements of the UK landscape industry is second-to-none, and our in-house technologies and skills are leading edge.
We are a leading specialist supplier to the exterior and interior landscape industries, and our products feature in numerous schemes for corporations, public authorities, and private residences.
