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Chelsea Physic Garden: Folklore Re: Rooted Nature’s Prescription for Joy, folklore trail design & Workshop Facilitation

Chelsea Physic Garden was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, and is one of Europe's oldest botanic gardens dedicated to medicinal plants. Collaborating with Costanza Thom (Graphic Designer, Paper Collage artist), Jupiter Green created Nature's Prescription for Joy, an interactive folklore trail and paper bouquet workshop for the Garden's 2026 Earth Week.

Map cover/back collage art & Sticker Sheet design
by Costanza Thom

Map illustration
by Jupiter Green

The trail invites visitors to become "travellers on a mission" across the Garden,
finding six plants from around the world,
each a historic symbol of love and happiness.
with the secret of serving as a heart medicine.
Every plant on the trail carries a beautiful folk tale
alongside scientific wonder.

The project sits within the Garden's seasonal theme Folklore Re: Rooted, which unfolds across four acts mirroring the natural world's rhythm. Drawing on the Garden's living collection of plants from across the globe, Nature’s Prescription for Joy explores myths, rituals, and stories, reclaiming folklore not as an archived past but as a living practice of imagination, community, and care. Together, they designed an integrated physical and digital experience: an illustrated map, six trail plaques:

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Plaque designs
@Costanza Thom

A website blending traditional approaches with modern designs. For visitors who could not attend the trail in person, the site includes illustrated articles, audio guides, and paper bouquet crafting tutorials:

Visit site
(mobile only)

Main page

Web page thumbnails

Last but not least, a paper bouquet crafting workshop :

It welcomed participants of all ages and backgrounds. Around the table, different languages, cultures, ages, and stories gathered together. As hands folded, cut, and layered paper flowers, each bouquet became a symbol of joy, rooted in plant folklore, made with personal care, and destined for a loved one. The workshop turned simple observation into active creation, proving that joy and well-being belong to everyone

Through Nature's Prescription for Joy, Chelsea Physic Garden increased attendance among diverse audiences during Earth Week 2026, successfully reaching the Expression (younger, more ethnically diverse, valuing community and well-being) and Essence (discerning cultural visitors seeking quality and expertise) segments via both in-person and digital access. The project champions horticultural innovation and craft, cultivates curiosity, and reimagines how a heritage organisation can invite new perspectives by blending botanical precision with accessible craft and turning observation into active creation.

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