National Gardening Week Pt II | Where, What, How...
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| © RHS National Gardening Week |
I had some feedback this morning that quite rightly mentioned that I haven't actually said much about National Gardening Week, and how you can get involved if you're interested. I will just say at this point that I really do appreciate all feedback, I don't know much about this blogging thing so any suggestions are very welcome. Thank you for your comments in this case. :)
So, the idea behind it all is to get Britain growing, and to raise awareness of horticulture. As they say on their website; 'The benefits of gardens and gardening are felt by many millions of people every day. Gardening protects our environment, strengthens communities, helps children learn, and contributes to happy, healthy lives.'
And quite right they are! I know it's not everyone's thing, but gardening doesn't have to be some big daunting concept that takes a lot of time and work. Gardening should also never be considered a chore; it's simply about getting back to bare roots (pun intended) and enjoying what nature has to offer.
There are many simple ways you can get into growing. First, have a little think about what you would like to grow; is it flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs, fruit or veg? Or perhaps even a water garden? I've heard that a small herb garden is a nice way to get started, and you can then use your yields in the kitchen, too.
There is an infinite supply of advice out there, on the internet and in books and magazines, so there's always help at hand. A good website to look at when buying seeds is Simple Sowing, as they sell products that make planting that little bit simpler. For instance, their seed tapes, discs and carpets that I've recently discovered, make sowing faster, easier and neater.
If it's ease of growing you're after, but money's not too much of a problem, Homebase are currently selling 'Garden on a Roll' kits that even come with a bio-degradable sheet with instructions on for where to plant each shrub or flower. Kind of like a 'plant by numbers.'
In terms of easy gardening on a budget, well, stay tuned. As you may know, I'm currently writing a series of 'Affordable Interiors' guides, about decorating on a budget, and will be doing them about gardening too. At the moment, I'm still learning about the costs of gardening, so will write a chapter on it when I've got enough experience of it to do so.
I've grown up helping my parents in the garden, but as I've only had my own one for a short while, there is a lot that I have yet to learn. I still don't know how much sunlight which plants need and what type of soil to put them in... I just know names of flowers that I like, and how to pot them up. Last year I went with a strict colour scheme of all pink, purple, blue and white. I quickly learnt that for my first year of gardening, being so picky was a bad idea! I hadn't wanted to overload myself with too many plants as I was trying gardening for the first time, so I just had a few bits dotted around and it all looked a little bare of colour.
This year, I have bought a selection of different colours and types of flower, and intend on just 'going for it' with my planting. I'm not going to worry about what shade should be where, I just want to end up with colour, colour and more colour! Maybe even a nice fragrance or two, too!
So that's why I'm getting on the National Gardening Week wagon, as I think it's a good idea to encourage gardening. There are also tips on the NGW website, so if you're just starting out like me, I hope you'll find that useful. Gardening really is such a beautiful pasttime, and a very rewarding one at that.
You can see what's on throughout National Gardening Week here, and can learn how to get involved here. Beginning on Monday 15th April, they are running a series of Springtime Nature Trail Challenges, which are great family activities. They've also got allotment conversions, wildflower mini-meadow sowing, giant vegetable growing competitions and much more, so there's definitely something for everyone. I especially like the sound of the 'Wildflower Seed Bomb Family Workshop,' where you can make your own seed bomb, throw it into your garden when you get home, and enjoy watching what grows.
Once again a little thank you for the feedback I received this morning, it is always nice to hear what people think from the other side of my screen.
Happy gardening week everyone!
|
| © RHS National Gardening Week |
So, the idea behind it all is to get Britain growing, and to raise awareness of horticulture. As they say on their website; 'The benefits of gardens and gardening are felt by many millions of people every day. Gardening protects our environment, strengthens communities, helps children learn, and contributes to happy, healthy lives.'
And quite right they are! I know it's not everyone's thing, but gardening doesn't have to be some big daunting concept that takes a lot of time and work. Gardening should also never be considered a chore; it's simply about getting back to bare roots (pun intended) and enjoying what nature has to offer.
There are many simple ways you can get into growing. First, have a little think about what you would like to grow; is it flowers, shrubs, trees, herbs, fruit or veg? Or perhaps even a water garden? I've heard that a small herb garden is a nice way to get started, and you can then use your yields in the kitchen, too.
There is an infinite supply of advice out there, on the internet and in books and magazines, so there's always help at hand. A good website to look at when buying seeds is Simple Sowing, as they sell products that make planting that little bit simpler. For instance, their seed tapes, discs and carpets that I've recently discovered, make sowing faster, easier and neater.
 |
| © Simple Sowing |
In terms of easy gardening on a budget, well, stay tuned. As you may know, I'm currently writing a series of 'Affordable Interiors' guides, about decorating on a budget, and will be doing them about gardening too. At the moment, I'm still learning about the costs of gardening, so will write a chapter on it when I've got enough experience of it to do so.
I've grown up helping my parents in the garden, but as I've only had my own one for a short while, there is a lot that I have yet to learn. I still don't know how much sunlight which plants need and what type of soil to put them in... I just know names of flowers that I like, and how to pot them up. Last year I went with a strict colour scheme of all pink, purple, blue and white. I quickly learnt that for my first year of gardening, being so picky was a bad idea! I hadn't wanted to overload myself with too many plants as I was trying gardening for the first time, so I just had a few bits dotted around and it all looked a little bare of colour.
This year, I have bought a selection of different colours and types of flower, and intend on just 'going for it' with my planting. I'm not going to worry about what shade should be where, I just want to end up with colour, colour and more colour! Maybe even a nice fragrance or two, too!
 |
| © RHS National Gardening Week |
So that's why I'm getting on the National Gardening Week wagon, as I think it's a good idea to encourage gardening. There are also tips on the NGW website, so if you're just starting out like me, I hope you'll find that useful. Gardening really is such a beautiful pasttime, and a very rewarding one at that.
You can see what's on throughout National Gardening Week here, and can learn how to get involved here. Beginning on Monday 15th April, they are running a series of Springtime Nature Trail Challenges, which are great family activities. They've also got allotment conversions, wildflower mini-meadow sowing, giant vegetable growing competitions and much more, so there's definitely something for everyone. I especially like the sound of the 'Wildflower Seed Bomb Family Workshop,' where you can make your own seed bomb, throw it into your garden when you get home, and enjoy watching what grows.
Once again a little thank you for the feedback I received this morning, it is always nice to hear what people think from the other side of my screen.
Happy gardening week everyone!
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