Psalm 23 inspired my back garden

When Winnie Reynolds (62) moved into her new home in Seaford, East Sussex, ten years ago, she wanted to do something a bit different with her garden. 

So, she turned to Psalm 23 for inspiration, deciding to bring the well-known verses to life through hard landscaping and varied planting. 

‘I wanted to share the word of God with people,’ she says, ‘and to open the garden to the public.’

After years of planning, building and meticulous planting, Winnie opened her Psalm 23-inspired garden to the public in July 2019 as part of the seaside town’s open garden weekend. Working with others, Winnie raised more than £1,000 for a local charity. 

‘People really appreciated it,’ she says. ‘They said that they could relate to it. The feedback was really good.’

Winnie’s planting scheme includes white flowers to depict ‘the paths of righteousness’ featured in the Psalm, and darker foliage to depict ‘the valley of the Shadow of Death’. 

Over the years spent planning and planting the garden, Winnie says that the Psalm has become important to her. 

‘It has spoken to me in so many different ways,’ she says. ‘It’s very personal and intimate. I get a sense of God walking with me in the highs and lows of life’. 

Bible Society’s garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, depicts Psalm 23. The aim is to inspire people to create community gardens, based on the Psalm, across the country. Winnie welcomed the move. ‘I was very excited when I heard about Bible Society’s Psalm 23 Garden,’ she says. ‘I think it’s a really lovely idea to develop gardens where there is a common space.’