Garden PR

Unique Scottish gardens welcoming visitors for charity in 2025

Unique Scottish gardens welcoming visitors for charity in 2025

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From lush cinematic landscapes to gardens supplying fresh produce to local food banks, urban hidden gems, and even a garden-turned-catwalk, a diverse range of special green spaces will open to the public this year through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme (SGS).

The long-established charity propagates a collection of over 370 unique garden listings, including 53 new gardens signed up this year. This brings the total number of participating gardens to over 400, with 244 charities and local good causes selected for support by garden owners.

The charity raised just under £400,000 through garden open days in 2024, with around £220,000 directly benefitting 240 charities and local good causes chosen by garden owners. A further £22,000 was donated to each of SGS’s core charities – Maggie’s, the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland and Perennial, and the charity also awarded bursaries totaling £7,500 to Scottish horticulturists, through its Cattanach Award, which will be launched again for 2025.

The SGS open gardens 2025 programme includes gardens of all shapes, sizes, situations and interest such as:

  • 2 Durnamuck in the north west of Scotland, recently featured on Monty Don’s British Gardens, a wonderful lochside croft garden
  • Carolside garden in the Scottish Borders with its glorious rose-filled elliptical walled garden, which featured on Netflix’s The Buccaneers
  • Drummond Castle gardens, one of Scotland’s most impressive formal gardens dating back to the 17th century, famous for its appearance in the ‘Outlander’ TV series and as the venue for Dior’s first Scottish fashion show in 2024

2 Durnamuck

Other highlights for 2025 include:

Gardens for community and educational benefit – Scotland’s Rural College joins SGS for the first time, with the staff and students of Oatridge College in Broxburn opening their garden on campus, and their colleagues at the Edinburgh campus now also planning to join in next year. Also welcomed back is The Biblical Garden in Elgin, which is used by the horticulture students of UHI Moray (University of Highlands & Islands).

A series of community gardens in the small town of Beith in Ayrshire will be opening for the first time, while the garden at Bannockburn House in Stirlingshire includes a kitchen garden which supplies fruit and vegetables to two local food banks and even includes an apiary.

Gardens for Wildlife & Environment – The inclusion of gardens with an environmental focus continues to be a growing trend and examples include: Archerfield Walled Garden in East Lothian with a new water-saving garden area featuring drought-tolerant species in shades of blue, rust and orange, while Lindisfarne garden in Moray includes a pond and rain garden fed by run-off from the roof and a wildflower meadow left to set seed for the birds, plus a shed featuring a green roof.

Also in East Lothian, Papple Steading features a meadow planted with Scottish native wildflowers, said to be one of the largest of its kind in Scotland, and sown with a wildflower and grass mix from Scottish wildflower seed specialist Scotia Seeds, including species such as yellow rattle, knapweed, ox-eye daisies, selfheal, yarrow, lady’s bedstraw, cowslip and quaking grass, among others. Laura’s Wood in Orkney has a half-acre sown with bird seed mix to feed the wild birds in Orkney’s inhospitable northern environment, demonstrating how garden owners are determined to support their local wildlife.

Ferneries – Ascog Fernery on Bute returns to SGS after a few years’ absence; this is a fascinating, enchanting and well-stocked subterranean Victorian fernery topped with an ornamental ‘terrarium-like’ roof, in the grounds of Victorian Ascog House, and including a 1000-year-old King Fern. Other ferneries can be seen at SGS regulars Hospitalfield House garden where there is a newly restored fernery and Benmore Botanic Garden, a beautiful Victorian structure set into the rocky cliffs above the garden.

Small but mighty gardens – welcoming our Instagram community – We’re welcoming three new small but mighty city gardens this year showing that small can also be beautiful, from gardeners with an Instagram following. Doctor Libby Webb’s small, terraced garden in Edinburgh has been re-designed from a lawned space used by a growing family into a stunningly beautiful haven for plants, people and pets with curved paths and generous planting. Follow her inspirational Instagram account @docleaves.

Writer and presenter Helen Cross will open her family-friendly garden in the southside of Glasgow; her garden includes raised beds for productive veg growing, feeding her passion for cooking and gardening with children, as seen in her book Grow, Cook, Inspire. Follow her @growcookinspire. Also in Edinburgh, garden coach Elisabeth Quinn, on Instagram @the_joyful_garden_ shares her tips on how to use a small city garden to create a garden that is at once family friendly and beautiful.

Post-industrial spaces – This year, SGS visitors can explore the New Lanark Roof Garden which returns after a break. Created on the 9,000 square feet of roof on one of the New Lanark mill buildings, the Roof Garden is the largest of its kind in Scotland. The garden’s patterns of gentle curves and swirls, reflect the turning arc of the great waterwheels which once powered the cotton-mills, and the flowing lines of the threads moving through the historic machinery as the yarn was spun, twisted, wound, and woven. The garden is the work of garden designer Douglas Coltart and is now maintained by New Lanark volunteers. In the heart of urban Glasgow, the SWG3 Community Garden sits behind SWG3, a high-profile events venue, on what was formerly derelict land between two railway lines.  Now, it’s a delightful secret garden populated with trees, grasses, shrubs and perennials with wide paths curving through the beds. Apart from the interesting planting, this garden, designed by the horticulturist and garden designer Jeremy Needham, has beehives and two different heights of raised beds which are used by the local community as allotments.

Gardyne Castle

New gardens or returning after a break – Gardyne Castle garden in Angus opens on 21 June, a rare chance to see this enchanting and romantic garden created by the owners over the past 21 years. The garden includes a gorgeous and colourful long double border, herbaceous planting, roses, peonies and lavender, as well as a formal knot garden with yew topiaries and specimen trees complementing a castle that dates back to the 16th century in parts. Further south in the Scottish Borders in Berwickshire, The Walled Garden at the Hugo Burge Foundation opens for the first time with SGS on Fridays in July and August (booking essential). A recently redeveloped walled garden in the grounds of the Marchmont Estate, the garden is designed to inspire creativity as part of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a newly formed arts charity. The garden contains herbaceous borders, a kitchen garden, a colonnade, wildflower meadows, cut flower borders, a sculpture collection and newly restored Mackenzie and Moncur glasshouses.

Glenkindie House in the Strathdon area of Aberdeenshire, is a 16th-century castle remodeled in the 1900s. The walled gardens are laid out in the Victorian Arts & Crafts style with herbaceous borders, a magnificent rhododendron shrubbery, specimen trees and rose beds. There is a fine collection of 19th-century yew topiary depicting teddy bears, chess pieces and characters from Alice in Wonderland. Visitors can also enjoy a stroll around the pond to view the 17th-century dovecot. Glenkindie House has open days in May and August and is famous for its sumptuous teas and strawberry tarts.

Gledenholm garden in Ae village, in Dumfriesshire, has been created by the owner over the past 20 years largely through his passion for propagating plants, which he also generously donates to many SGS plant sales, as well as contributing his top tips for propagation to the SGS blog, to inspire others.

2 Strathview in Conon Bridge near Inverness is a medium-sized garden with mature apple trees and a shady maze of paths through beds packed with perennials sloping down to sea level where there are plenty of birds on the estuary to view. Featuring a small greenhouse, and even a steam model railway which works if weather allows. There are a couple of water features fed by rainwater, leading to a small deep pond. Stunning panoramic views across the Cromarty Firth seen from a ‘food forest’, with fruit trees growing on a set of home designed arches, runner beans, strawberries and apple trees.

Groups & Villages – Visiting a group or village opening remains extremely popular with visitors with the opportunity to view a variety of different sizes and styles of gardens, all showcasing the passion of the garden owners, all on one day. This year there are 24 SGS group openings around Scotland this year, with highlights including:

Gifford, a traditional estate village a short distance from Edinburgh in East Lothian, which includes two stunning large-scale gardens at Broadwoodside (seen on Monty Don’s British Gardens in January 2025) and Gifford Bank, along with a variety of lovely village gardens – 22 June.

Lanark Town Gardens are new for 2025, opening on 13 July with six gardens in the Waterloo Road area of Lanark town. Highlights include a miniature orchard, an extensive rock garden with a collection of alpines, a colourful partially walled garden with a focus on wildlife and a remodeled garden full of interest and surprise. Homemade teas can be enjoyed in the colourful surrounds of Lanark Bowling Club where there will also be the opportunity for all visitors to enjoy a game.

Muckhart Open Gardens in Perthshire are opening on the weekend of 31 May and 1 June with a collection of gardens in and around the Pool o’Muckhart and Yetts o’Muckhart, some of which have not opened previously. A small and very charming village, Muckhart boasts an enchanting variety of cottage and informal gardens displaying some of the best and most thoughtfully considered aspects of amateur gardening in this part of Scotland. From wildlife-friendly gardens and magnificent trees, to beautiful and constantly evolving gardens where paths meander through terraced beds and ponds, and pocket-sized cottage gardens.

Special events – Dalswinton Mill in Dumfriesshire opens on 10 August. The garden of Colin Crosbie, a former Curator at RHS Wisley, the garden is set on both sides of the Pennyland Burn which flows through the middle and the garden includes the owner’s growing collection of specimen plants, and the opening will include a mini plant fair, with music, stalls, talks and horticultural demonstrations. Teasses Garden in Fife will host two special events for SGS this year; an enchanting candlelit snowdrop walk on 21 February and a Summer Solstice evening guided tour of the garden accompanied by the Estate Manager and former Head Gardener, on 18 June.

Music in the garden – A number of garden openings include music in the garden as part of their open day, including the No Strings Attached wind band at Redcroft in Edinburgh, The South West Scotland Piping & Drumming Academy Cowhill Tower, Dumfriesshire, pipe bands at Douneside House in Aberdeenshire and at Norton House on Deeside.

And finally, a new District Organiser in Orkney who has come all the way from the US, has got to know people on the islands by persuading them to open their gardens, resulting in a collection of new and returning Orkney gardens.

“It’s wonderful to be able to present yet another exciting programme of open days to the public and we can’t wait to welcome everyone to our 2025 season. Our garden owners and volunteers are truly inspiring people, and we are so grateful to them for their generosity in sharing their passion for plants and gardening knowledge to inspire many others.  We have a passionate following of regular visitors, and we hope to welcome many, many more people new to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme this year, to enjoy the delights of open gardens. Visiting open gardens is a wonderful way to do your bit for charity, the chance to learn something new about gardening and be inspired, to meet other garden lovers and to reap the benefits of being outside in a beautiful environment. Please join us in 2025 and help us raise funds for charities and local good causes again this year.” said Liz Stewart, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Chief Executive.

For full details of gardens open for charity, explore the SGS website or buy the 2025 guidebook, available on the website at scotlandsgardens.org.

ENDS

For more information:

Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433
Jessica Taylor jessica@scotlandsgardens.org

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme supports the opening of gardens throughout Scotland to the public, raising funds for charity through garden gate tickets, plant sales and teas. Most are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public at other times.  60% of funds raised at each garden opening may go to garden owner’s charity of choice with the remainder being donated to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and its beneficiary charities, Maggie’s, the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland and Perennial. Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is powered by volunteers and has been raising funds for charity through garden openings since 1931.

Full garden details can be found at scotlandsgardens.org. Garden and charity highlights can also be found on:

X @ScotGardens   
Instagram @ScotlandGardenScheme  
Facebook @ScotlandsGardens  

TikTok @scotlandsgardens

LinkedIn
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ScotlandsGardensScheme

 

Great gift ideas for hard-working gardeners

Great gift ideas for hard-working gardeners

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If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for green-fingered family or friends, kit them out with these top picks from British independent brand Genus Gardenwear. In a range of price points to suit all pockets, each is designed by gardeners for gardeners, and everything in incredibly well made, built to last and guaranteed to make light work of any gardening task. Order online for delivery throughout the UK and overseas.

 NEW  – the popular Cable Knit Merino Hatin Dark Earth, Alchemilla Green, Pacific Blue and Tayberry Red (joining Rust and Mid-Grey) and the Genus Carry-On Collection – a family comprising Kneeler and Royal Horticultural Society-endorsed Twine Pouch and Gardening Tool Holster, which join the best-selling RHS-endorsed Caddy Bag. All designed to complement Genus gardening trousers, shorts and tops when you need to carry a wider range of tools or require extra knee protection.

TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

NEW Genus Carry-On Collection Twine Pouch £15 (RHS-endorsed)

Genus Waterproof Gardening Gloves £20

NEW Genus Cable Knit Merino Hat (Dark Earth, Alchemilla Green, Pacific Blue and Tayberry Red) £30

 

MIDDLE ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

Genus Merino Neck Warmer £35

NEW Genus Carry-On Collection Kneeler £39

Genus Japanese Gardening Knife Small £35 Large £45

 

BOTTOM ROW LEFT TO RIGHT:

NEW Genus Carry-On Collection Gardening Tool Holster £49 (RHS-endorsed)

Genus Carry-On Collection Caddy bag £69 (RHS-endorsed)

Genus Japanese Secateurs £80

ENDS

For further information, samples or high res images contact:

Emma Mason / emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Sarah Cole / sarahcole@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07958 397637

Quinton Edwards celebrates 35 blooming years as the UK’s leading specialist in garden centre and horticultural property sales

Quinton Edwards celebrates 35 blooming years as the UK’s leading specialist in garden centre and horticultural property sales

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Chartered surveyors Quinton Edwards is marking 35 years as the UK’s foremost expert in the sale and valuation of garden centres, horticultural nurseries and farm shops – and is forecasting huge opportunities in the sector for investors willing ‘to buy small and build big’.

With family leisure becoming an increasingly popular and profitable market for the industry, companies investing in food halls and farm shops, restaurant and coffee shops, children’s soft play and even adventure activities can reap the rewards of running successful retail and leisure one-stop destinations.

Director Simon Quinton Smith of Quinton Edwards said “I believe there is huge scope for new entrants to come into the industry, who can start small and grow their independent businesses over the coming years. It is widely recognised that having successful independents is important to ensure diversity and continued innovation within the sector.  The large groups obviously offer lots for customers but innovation tends to start at the grass roots level with smaller, independently-owned businesses.”

Quinton Edwards was founded by specialist chartered surveyor Simon in autumn 1989 and over the last three decades, Simon and his team have supported the garden centre and horticultural industries through three recessions, various retail booms, a pandemic and the successful completion of millions of pounds worth of sales and valuations. This has included landmark valuations of some of the UK’s largest garden centres, including Bents, and Webbs of Wychbold and garden centre groups such as Dobbies, Hurrans and Wyevale.

The business is part of Quintons (Commercial) Ltd, which manages commercial sales and lettings and also has a successful property management arm Deal Varney Management – where the team currently manage two garden centre sites, in addition to commercial and residential property.  Simon is MD of Quintons (Commercial) Ltd.

Simon Quinton Smith

Simon (pictured left) is an Associate Member of the Horticultural Trades Association, Garden Centre Association and Farm Retail Association, and he is recognised as the leading specialist garden centre and horticultural Chartered Surveyor, having over the last three decades helped clients buy, sell and lease more garden centres, horticultural properties and associated businesses, than any other UK company.

He has also been an industry expert witness for over 20 years, acting for individuals, businesses and the courts in valuations, and is a registered business valuer.

Over the 35 years, Simon has seen many changes and developments in the horticultural industry.  He said: “Over the years the changes in the garden centre industry have been enormous.  In the 80s, garden centres were starting to take the form that they have now but without a lot of catering, without Christmas, without concessions, and without leisure.

Originally plants were 35%-50% of the turnover of the average garden centre but now, although the volumes haven’t changed, the overall percentage has dropped as other departments have increased.

Catering started small, becoming 10% of overall turnover.  Now it is 20% to 25% and growing, with many garden centre restaurants having between 200 and 300 covers and with the main restaurants becoming so popular, coffee shops are being opened to cater for those customers who just want a coffee and a sandwich or cake, rather than a full meal. 

 Clothing has also become big in garden centres with Blue Diamond stating that clothing is their best performing department. 

 In the past, May was probably the highest turnover month; now it can be November or December because of Christmas – and Christmas does not just revolve around selling product, it revolves around leisure experiences; curling, ice rinks, simulated train rides, roundabouts, circuses, and this leisure now continues at other times of the year too.”

Crazy golf, Dino Park, Go Ape, all feature in garden centres, and one of the more recent trends are farm shops/food halls, and those garden centres who had successful farm shops or food halls, did particularly well during Covid. These continue to grow and often now have a cook shop alongside with Lakeland opening as concessions at some garden centres.”

Concluding Simon said, “It has been a fascinating 35 years for the industry and we have enjoyed supporting our clients through the many changes and advances that have taken place in the sector over those years. The future is looking extremely positive for garden centres, horticultural nurseries and farm shops and we are excited to be a part of this evolving and exciting market.”

The Quintons team

ENDS

For further information please contact: For further information please contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors:

Quinton Edwards is the leading Chartered Surveyors offering expert advice to the Garden Centre, Horticultural & Farm Shop industries in UK, Ireland & Europe. Based in Newbury in West Berkshire it has been established for 35 years.

The business undertakes sales, lettings, valuations, acquisitions, rent reviews, lease renewals (landlord & tenant) for garden centres, plant centres, retail nurseries, wholesale nurseries, salad nurseries, mushroom farms, aquatic centres, farm shops and other horticultural-related businesses.  Simon Quinton Smith also acts as a sector Expert Witness.

Disney’s The Lion King community garden opens at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival marking 25 years of the iconic West End show

Disney’s The Lion King community garden opens at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival marking 25 years of the iconic West End show

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Designed by Juliet Sargeant, the garden won three awards at the festival including best show garden

Disney’s THE LION KING is presenting a community garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival to commemorate 25 years of the iconic, award-winning West End musical.

Designed by leading garden designer Juliet Sargeant, the garden received three awards at the festival; Best Show Garden, the RHS Environmental Innovation Award and a Silver Gilt Medal*.

Disney’s The Lion King 25th Anniversary Community Garden  is open at the garden festival until 7 July, featuring rousing live performances and interactive activities throughout the week, providing a communal space for the public to sit and reflect on their own journey through the ‘Circle of Life’.

Thenjiwe Thendiva Nofemele performs in The Lion King 25th Anniversary Garden at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival – photo credit Clive Sugden

Filled with colourful drought-tolerant flowers, the triple-award-winning garden reflects the bright hues of Julie Taymor’s theatrical design. Made from recycled, crushed red brick the soil is planted with swathes of resilient grasses to reflect the Pridelands with antelope from the production appearing to leap through the grass. It is surrounded by a wildlife-friendly dead hedge, which creates a traditional Boma providing a communal meeting place for visitors to enjoy.

The ‘Circle of Life’ echoes throughout the garden, creating balance and harmony, whilst a large fabric ‘sunrise’ provides a colourful and theatrical boundary focal point. Climate resilient plants and trees such as Bulbinella frutescens ‘Sunset Orange, ‘Zanthoxyllum simulans (Szechuan pepper), Kniphofia varieties, Zelkova serrata, Stipa pseudo-ichu, and Gleditsia Skyline (Honey Locust) offer ideas for savannah style planting that’s practical and drought-tolerant with the aim of encouraging people to experiment with new planting styles as well as with plants.

Juliet Sargeant on the garden – photo credit Clive Sugden

Since performances began at the Lyceum Theatre in 1999 more than 19 million people have experienced the breath-taking musical in London. Every performance takes 150 people, with 50 on stage and 100 backstage along with 232 puppets and 350 different costumes. To mark its 25th year in the heart of London’s West End, the show is proud to celebrate its quarter century at this prestigious event in the capital’s annual calendar.

THE LION KING 25th anniversary garden designer, Juliet Sargeant commented:“Simply exhibiting at a RHS show is a privilege, but to have been awarded Best Show Garden is amazing, especially given the calibre of gardens this year. The Environmental Innovation award is new to the RHS and so we really weren’t expecting to win. It’s lovely to have confirmed our message of environmental responsibility that runs through the garden and the ethos of the theatre show.”

More information can be found here

ENDS

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Disney’s THE LION KING Lyceum Theatre 21 Wellington Street, London WC2E 7RQ

Ticket information Performances at the Lyceum Theatre, London are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.thelionking.co.uk / 0800 912 6971

For further information relating to THE LION KING, please contact Bread and Butter PR: Kate Hassell | kate@breadandbutterpr.uk | 07921264564

Chloe Heard | chloe@breadandbutterpr.uk | 07961399241
For further information relating to Juliet Sargeant, please contact Emma Mason PR: Emma Mason | emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk | 07762 117433

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS *The Silver Gilt Medal is the second highest medal to be awarded by the RHS. Main photo credit Alister Thorpe

ABOUT DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP Disney Theatrical Group, a division of The Walt Disney Studios, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher. Worldwide, its ten Broadway titles have been seen by more than 200 million theatregoers and have been nominated for 62 Tony® Awards, winning Broadway’s highest honor 20 times. The company’s inaugural production, Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994, playing a remarkable 13-year run on Broadway and produced in replica productions around the world over four decades. In November 1997, Disney made theatrical history with the opening of The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director, Julie Taymor, who became the first woman in Broadway history to win the award. Surpassing 25 landmark years on Broadway, it has welcomed 112 million visitors worldwide to date and has nine productions currently running worldwide. The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica and its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or entertainment title in box office history. Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony Awards. It was followed by Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, which opened in London in 2004 and went on to enjoy a six-year Tony-winning Broadway run. Tarzan®, Tony-nominated for its 2006 Broadway premiere, went on to become an international hit with an award-winning production enjoying a ten-year run in Germany. In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the best-selling new musical of that year. Disney Theatrical Group opened two critically acclaimed productions on Broadway in 2012, winning seven Tony Awards between them: Peter and the Starcatcher and Newsies, each of which enjoyed a two-year run and launched North American tours, with Newsies playing a record-breaking Fathom Events in-cinema release. Aladdin, Disney Theatrical Group’s 2014 hit, continues its smash Broadway run. It has launched nine productions around the globe and been seen by more than 17 million guests. Disney Theatrical Group’s newest hit, the 2018 Tony-nominated Best Musical Frozen currently has four productions around the world. Other stage ventures include the Olivier-nominated London hit Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin and King David in concert on Broadway. Disney Theatrical Group has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage musicals including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday and Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney Theatrical Group also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner, which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Mrs. Doubtfire. With dozens of  productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. Next on the Disney Theatrical schedule: the world-premiere of Hercules in Hamburg, Germany and the North American tour of a reimagined production of Beauty and The Beast in 2025.

ABOUT JULIET SARGEANT Juliet Sargeant is a Sussex-based garden designer who loves to use gardens to tell stories and inspire creativity. In 2016, she was awarded a RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal and The People’s Choice Award for her ‘Modern Slavery Garden’ and a Siver-Gilt for The New Blue Peter Garden: Discover Soil, 2022.

In this garden, Juliet celebrates all the creative talents who have contributed to the success of The Lion King West End Show. She uses the parched landscape of the African savanna to underpin a climate resilient ‘Circle of Life’ theme to the garden, with colourful drought-tolerant planting to inspire us all.

Juliet has long advocated the importance of gardens for health and in her private practice, she uses gardens to help connect people to landscape and nature. At her ‘Sussex Garden School’ she runs courses to de-mystify gardening and help people to get to know their gardens better.Juliet has won awards from the SGD in 2012 and 2015, for sustainability and hard landscaping design. In 2017 Juliet was made a Fellow of the SGD for her contribution to garden design & horticulture and in 2019 she was made Fellow of The Landscape Institute.In 2016 Juliet was celebrated for her role as a change-maker and role model at the GG2 Leadership Awards. She was also one of the Evening Standard’s Progress 100 influential people. In 2018 she was named as one of the BBC 100 Women.

ABOUT THE RHS Since our formation in 1804, the RHS has grown into the UK’s leading gardening charity, touching the lives of millions of people. Perhaps the secret to our longevity is that we’ve never stood still. In the last decade alone we’ve taken on the largest hands-on project the RHS has ever tackled by opening RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester, and invested in the science that underpins all our work by building RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science.  We have committed to being net positive for nature and people by 2030. We are also committed to being truly inclusive and to reflect all the communities of the UK.  Across our five RHS gardens we welcome more than three million visitors each year to enjoy over 34,000 different cultivated plants. Events such as the world famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, other national shows, our schools and community work, and partnerships such as Britain in Bloom, all spread the shared joy of gardening to wide-reaching audiences.Throughout it all we’ve held true to our charitable core – to encourage and improve the science, art and practice of horticulture –to share the love of gardening and the positive benefits it brings. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk.
RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

 

Hope thousands more young people with disabilities could benefit from grassroots sport as charity Panathlon extends its reach at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Hope thousands more young people with disabilities could benefit from grassroots sport as charity Panathlon extends its reach at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

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  • Disability sports charity teaming up with designer Penelope Walker of Llevelo Garden Design for The Panathlon Joy Garden
  • Wheelchair accessible All About Plants garden at the show to be officially opened by Paralympians Steve Brown, Liz Johnson and Louise Sugden on press day (Monday 20 May)
  • Panathlon’s current fundraising campaign aims to tackle waiting list for its sporting events for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
  • To be relocated to Marjorie McClure School in Chislehurst, London, a school for students aged 4-19 years old with complex medical needs and physical disabilities
  • Supported by Project Giving Back, the grant-making charity that funds gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the garden is a colourful and uplifting depiction of how Panathlon inspires inclusion and normalises difference, with an overall message that joy is for everyon

Disability sports charity Panathlon is hoping around 5,000 more young people could benefit from the life-changing sporting opportunities it offers, by amplifying awareness of its current campaign to raise an extra £100,000 when it exhibits at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

With a long waiting list for the competitive sporting events it runs across the UK for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), the charity is teaming up with multi-award winning garden designer Penelope Walker for The Panathlon Joy Garden. The aim is to highlight the transformative impact of its work and the drive to secure much-needed funds to help more young people.

Paralympians Steve Brown, Liz Johnson and Louise Sugden will officially open the garden at the show and share their hugely positive experiences of working with the charity. Fellow Panathlon Patron and TV presenter, Alex Brooker, is also providing pre and post-show support.  The Patrons hope the event will offer a unique chance to garner more support from the show’s 150,000 visitors to extend Panathlon’s reach UK-wide.

Already Panathlon is poised to increase its services to help nurture the physical and mental wellbeing of even more children with SEND, and to promote aspiring youngsters with disabilities to become potential future medal winners in competitive disability sport. With greater funding and donations, it is hoped that an additional 5,000 young people can be involved in the 2024/25 school year.

Demand is increasing for Panathlon’s competitive disability sporting events, which the charity has delivered throughout the UK for over 25 years. In 2023 Panathlon achieved a record-breaking year, providing 62,981 young people with disabilities with the opportunity to participate in competitive disability sport.

Panathlon Patron Steve Brown (Wheelchair Rugby Captain at the London 2012 Paralympics and BBC Countryfile presenter), comments: “Providing children with disabilities the opportunities to develop their interests and skills across all sports, allows them to open their minds to the competitive possibilities. The platform and experience that Panathlon creates is awesome, and with greater support, we can do even more nationwide for young, aspiring para-athletes!”

Paralympic Champion and Panathlon Chair, Liz Johnson, says: “Panathlon delivers life-enhancing opportunities for over 60,000 young people every year. Research in 2023 proved that Panathlon massively improves the self-confidence, motivation, mental (and physical) well-being of tens of thousands of children with disabilities and special needs. We want to involve more children, and already we have the demand to expand outside of our current resources. We would love to hear from businesses and individuals who wish to support our work!”

Ashley Iceton from Panathlon, adds: “Panathlon needs to raise £900,000 every year, and as we expand we have to raise even more money! RHS Chelsea Flower Show is our opportunity to tell 150,000 people about Panathlon’s core mission – and we hope to encourage more people to support the charity whilst increasing the number of young people participating in Panathlon. With greater funding, it is hoped that an additional 5,000 young people with disabilities can become involved with Panathlon during the 2024/25 school year.”

The Garden

The Panathlon Joy Garden, in the All About Plants category at the world-famous show, is an uplifting depiction of how the charity inspires inclusion, enables accessibility, and normalises difference. The overall message of the garden is that joy is for everyone.

The garden is a colourful space with tangible and conceptual details to promote and represent joy. Curves dominate in the layout, soft and hard landscaping. Colour is present in the planting and garden features, whilst ‘ribbons’ across the rear boundary represent Panathlon’s use of ribbons in celebration at their sporting events.

The unusual tree shapes symbolise normalising difference; they may look different from the ‘norm’, but this does not impact their ability to function and perform perfectly well and still exude beauty. The pathway connecting both ends of the garden, and the seating area with space next to it for a wheelchair, both promote the message of inclusion. The pathway is also slightly concave to create playfulness, as does a bright orange, organically-shaped rocking bench.

Planting is colourful and undulating to ensure all garden visitors – irrespective of ability or age – connect to the plants, with a better sight line for wheelchair users. Geranium ‘Anne Thomson’, Salvia ‘Neon’, Allium siculum, Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose, Actinidia kolomikta, Trifolium rubens and Asphodeline lutea add pops of colour, and evergreen Portugese laurel shrubs in a ball shape are repeated to create consistency and sense of flow.

Penelope Walker says: “It’s been a pleasure to design The Panathlon Joy Garden and I’m so excited to share this with visitors. I really hope they feel inspired by the garden and take some new ideas home with them.”

Plants are supplied by How Green Nursery in Kent and the trees by Van den Berk Nurseries, and the garden is built by Stewart Landscapes Construction.

Following the show, the garden will be relocated to the Marjorie McClure School in Chislehurst in London, a school for students aged 4-19 years old with complex medical needs and physical disabilities.

The Panathlon charity relies on sponsors, charitable trusts, foundations, and individual giving, to support its work each year. To help the charity create opportunities for more children in 2025, visit https://panathlonfoundationltd.enthuse.com/cf/joygardenchelsea2024.Each donation of £25 will allow another child the opportunity to take part in competitive sport. Donations pay for adapted sports equipment, specialised coaches, and the cost of supplying medals, sports clothing and trophies to reward the competitors.

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

  • Arsenal amputee footballer Isaac Addai has credited Panathlon with kick-starting his career by giving him the opportunity to compete in disability sport at school. Last season Isaac was voted Arsenal’s ‘Player of the Year’ when the Gunners won the England Amputee Football League Cup.
  • Great Britain wheelchair racer Michael McCabe began his dream of becoming an athlete while competing with Panathlon during his school years. He finished fourteenth in the London Marathon 2024 men’s wheelchair race.
  • In the last 12 months Panathlon’s UK reach has broken records! In 2023 Panathlon’s programmes featured: 62,981 participants; 7,359 young leaders; 3,012 schools; and took place across 44 English counties and 10 areas of Wales.
  • March 2024 saw Panathlon deliver 142 sports events across the country, involving 6,303 competitors with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Additionally a further 1,387 young leaders were involved, providing those children with new responsibilities and leadership qualities.
  • Panathlon’s sporting programmes include: multi-skills, swimming, football, 10-pin bowling and boccia and a range of impairment specific sports.
  • Panathlon needs to raise £900,000 every year.

Media Enquiries

For more information about Panathlon

Contact Helen Stock – helen@foxredmedia.co.uk

For more information about The Panathlon Joy Garden or Penelope Walker

Contact Emma Mason – emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk / 07762 117433

Press Images

Images for media use can be found by clicking here. If you require more, please get in touch with the media contacts above.

About Panathlon
Panathlon delivers over 950 days of sporting activity each year, across every English county, into North and South Wales and Northern Ireland.

Independent Research in October 2023 reported that due to Panathlon:

  • 92% of schools reported increased self-belief and pride in themselves
  • 88% increased confidence and resilience
  • 82% increased teamwork and leadership skills
  • 79% of participants had their first-ever competitive sporting experience
  • 77% increase in social interaction

Moreover, the research also found an additional 51,164 children have benefitted from Panathlon-inspired activities, with schools making PE curricula more inclusive; investing in equipment; developing assessment tools; creating leadership roles for SEND children; building new inter-school sports fixtures and opening school facilities to the community.

This ripple-effect shows the work of Panathlon to promote inclusivity in sport will continue to extend to even more pupils in the future. This provision to at least 114,145 children and young people this year is more crucial than ever, given the barriers of cost, resources, and local authority support to physical education among children and young people with special needs are increasing, emphasising the lens through which the growing impact of Panathlon should be viewed.

Panathlon Touchpoints

Web – https://panathlon.com/

Email – enquiries@panathlon.com

X – https://twitter.com/Panathlon

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/PanathlonChallenge

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/panathlonchallenge/

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/panathlon-challenge/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/Panathlon1

The Designer

Penelope Walker is an award-winning landscape and garden designer based in the UK who set up her own practice in 2016.  Driven by a passion for design, Penelope has an eye for style; her trade stand design at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022 was featured in an article titled ‘Five Trends to Watch Out for in 2022’ by Homes and Gardens UK. Penelope is a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers and has passed the first stage of adjudication.

Penelope’s strength lies in her spatial awareness and ability to make a space fit for purpose as well as beautiful and reflective of its setting. After graduating from the English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden, Penelope spent a year working at The Place for Plants; a highly reputable independent Plant Nursery selling everyday and unusual plants from perennials to shrubs and trees.

One of Penelope’s core beliefs is that design has the strength to evoke powerful emotions. With a particular affinity for designing wellbeing gardens and ‘feel good’ gardens in the faith that a little joy can go a long way.

With extensive experience of listening to clients’ needs and delivering quality work, Penelope has vast knowledge of what is required to design and implement a range of gardens and landscapes as well as a real eye for style.

Web – www.llevelogardendesign.co.uk

Email – penelope@llevelo.co.uk

Instagram – www.instagram.com/llevelo_garden_design

Tel – 01206 625330

Project Giving Back

Project Giving Back (PGB) is a unique grant-making charity that provides funding for gardens for good causes at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. PGB was launched in May 2021 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its devastating effects on UK charitable fundraising – effects that have since been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis. PGB will fund a total of 15 gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2024 and intends to fund up to 60 gardens inspired by a range of good causes at the show from 2022 – 2026.

Find out more at www.givingback.org.uk.

Celebrity Panathlon patrons

Liz Johnson – a triple Paralympic medallist, became a Panathlon patron in 2010 and, since then, has attended dozens of competitions around the country, inspiring a new generation of athletes. She is now chair of the charity. Liz, a 100m breaststroke S6 swimmer, won the gold medal at the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008, to add to her silver medal from Athens 2004. She then went on to complete a hat trick of medals in front of a home crowd at London 2012, where she won bronze.

Steve Brown – the Great Britain wheelchair rugby captain at the London 2012 Olympics, Steve is a Panathlon Patron. He was a TV host/presenter at the Paralympics in Rio as well as a regular on BBC’s Countryfile and Springwatch programmes.

Alex Brooker – co-hosts award-winning show The Last Leg, and has been a Panathlon patron since 2013. He rose to fame as a reporter for Channel 4 at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

Plant List

Trees

Platanus x hispanica ‘Malburg

Plants

Actinidia kolomikta

Alchemilla sericata ‘Gold Strike’

Allium cyathophorum var. farreri

Allium siculum

Asphodeline lutea

Asplenium trichomanes subsp. trichomanes

Astrantia ‘Buckland’

Astrantia major ‘Star of Beauty’

Blechnum spicant

Carex testacea

Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’

Epimedium pubigerum

Erigeron ‘Lavender Lady’

Festuca amethystina

Foeniculum vulgare

Geranium ‘Anne Thomson’

Geranium ‘Mavis Simpson’

Geum ‘Pretticoats Peach’

Heuchera ‘Midnight Rose’

Luzula nivea

Paeonia lactiflora ‘Nippon Beauty’

Pimpinella major ‘Rosea’

Prunus lusitanica

Rhaphiolepsis umbellata ‘Southern Moon’

Rosa ‘Cardinal de Richelieu’

Salvia ‘Neon’

Silene banksia ‘Hill Grounds’

Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’

Tellima grandiflora

Trifolium rubens

Tulbaghia violacea

Valeriana officinalis

Scabiosa columbaria subsp. ochroleuca

 

 

Planning your veg plot and growing tasty food is just about to get MUCH easier – with the UK launch of Fryd, the community-centric gardening app

Planning your veg plot and growing tasty food is just about to get MUCH easier – with the UK launch of Fryd, the community-centric gardening app

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  • Easy-to-use innovative app helps you plan a bespoke veg plot, choose the best veg and companion crops for your climate and location
  • Already most popular gardening app in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with nearly 200,000 registered users and over 100,000 planting plans created covering 300,000 garden beds
  • Get inspiration from planting plans from leading UK gardeners – including no dig’s Charles Dowding, urban gardener Alessandro Vitale (@_Spicy Moustache_), Amy Chapman (@inthecottagegarden), Tanya Anderson(@lovely.greens) and Becky Searle (@sow_much_more)
  • Ideal for large or small plots, urban, allotment, back garden, or balcony
  • Gives access to a crowd-sourced online plant library and eco growing advice from an in-built community
  • Fryd is ‘steward-owned’, purpose-driven business using advanced technology and crowdsourcing to make growing your own food easier and more enjoyable

 

Choosing what crops to grow, when to plant them and where in your veggie bed, is now easier thanks to a new app that uses the latest technology to help gardeners plan, sow, grow and harvest their plots.

Fryd, which means joy in Danish and Norwegian, was originally launched in 2019, is already the most popular gardening app in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and is now launching in the UK.

It features a bed planning tool, so users can create their own planting plan templates in just a few clicks. You can research what you want to grow via a unique, crowd-generated plant database, get advice and prompts on best sowing times for crops plus what companion plants to grow alongside – and even those to avoid.

The aim of Fryd is to make gardening accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of their space or experience, and to take the guesswork out of veg growing. By joining the Fryd community of currently 200,000 fellow growers, you can connect, share experiences and enjoy learning from each other.

Fryd is now available to download in the UK on both iOS and Android platforms. You can choose to join for free, or for more enhanced features you can subscribe, or take out a lifetime membership.

   

Charles Dowding, Becky Searle (credit Paula Fearnly), Alessandro Vitale, Amy Chapman and Tanya Anderson

Fryd’s UK launch is being supported by a well-known crop of talented garden influencers who will all be sharing their own planting plans on the app:

  • Charles Dowding: “I like Fryd because it aligns well with my approach of minimal cultivation and rapid succession planting. It has the capacity to create plans for plots of any size, to grow vegetables through a whole year, and it’s an app that fits with no dig methods.“
  • Becky Searle (@sow_much_more): “The Fryd app is like having a personal gardening adviser in your pocket. It helps you plan and keep track of your garden, and gives you seasonal growing advice and inspiration.”
  • Alessandro Vitale (@_SpicyMoustache_): “I’ve been transforming a little 40-square-metre plot in London into a lush urban oasis while navigating the challenging world of gardening. At first, the torrent of advice from various online sources felt overwhelming like trying to sip water from a firehose. I switched from one gardening app to another, each providing only a portion of the knowledge I desired. Then, Fryd joined the scene, a digital companion that promises to transform your gardening journey from a battle against the elements into a harmonious dialogue with nature. Changing everything with its vast compilation of plant knowledge, timely sowing schedules, and innovative treatments for those ever-lurking pests and diseases. I suddenly had all of the answers I needed in my pocket.”
  • Amy Chapman (@inthecottagegarden): “I love using Fryd to plan my garden! I have tried other gardening apps in the past but none of them had the functionality Fryd does. I particularly love the community section as I get to see what everyone is up to in the garden each week, and you can even ask questions on there and the community will help answer them!”
  • Tanya Anderson (@lovely.greens): “The Fryd app is an all-in-one resource for GYO enthusiasts. You can connect with others, ask questions, and get regular reminders for seeds to sow and key gardening tasks. You can create a digital garden bed that’s the exact match of your real veg bed and add crops over the duration of a year, even including succession sowing.  And you can then share it with others, and as gardeners I think that’s going to really resonate.”

Innovative plant database and customised planting plans – Fryd’s plant database is created and refined by its user community. Plants are registered by users and verified by moderators, ensuring accurate and reliable information. Users can publish and share their own planting plans, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment.

Tailored gardening experience for different climate zones – Fryd understands the complexities of different climate zones, tailoring the gardening experience to individual growing conditions. This feature ensures that gardeners receive personalised advice and suggestions, enhancing the success of their gardening endeavours.

Empowering urban and small-space gardeners – Fryd is particularly empowering for urban gardeners, providing solutions to transform even the smallest spaces into lush, green areas. The app promotes the idea that every garden is beautiful, encouraging gardeners to utilise whatever space they have.

A purpose-driven gardening companion – At its core, Fryd is a mission-driven platform, dedicated to promoting sustainable and eco-friendly gardening practices. The app’s purpose is rooted in empowering individuals to positively impact their environment, championing sustainability in every aspect of gardening.

“Fryd is so much more than just an app; we’re a movement towards a greener future,” says Florian, Founder of Fryd. “Our mission is to empower everyone to grow their own vegetables as gardening leads to a happier, healthier lifestyle, fosters sustainable consumption habits, and deepens appreciation for nature and food. We want to redefine gardening for a new generation as a vibrant social experience and one that is accessible to all.”

Joining the Fryd community is free or subscribe to Super Fryd (£9 p/month, £35 p/year or £130 lifetime subscription) which boasts lots of enhanced features. Garden planning, season overview, access to the library, recipes, podcasts and the Fryd community are all available free of charge for users. A Super Fryd subscription gives users access to a magic wand tool that creates a planting plan in seconds, multiple plans per account, the ability to copy and modify planting plan templates, succession planting suggestions, automatic reminders, and personal support, with crop rotation planning tools coming soon.

For more information about Fryd and its mission, visit https://www.fryd.app/en or follow on @fryd_app.

ENDS

Press Contact: Emma Mason, emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Florian Haßler Co-Founder Fryd GmbH +49 174 33 29 352 florian@fryd.app https://fryd.app

Sunflowers, snowdrops, no dig plots, bee hives and wildflower meadows – Scotland’s Gardens Scheme launches 2024 season

Sunflowers, snowdrops, no dig plots, bee hives and wildflower meadows – Scotland’s Gardens Scheme launches 2024 season

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Scotland’s Gardens Scheme returns for 2024 with an exciting new season of gardens, raising funds for hundreds of charities and involving over 1000 volunteers and garden openers.

2024 season highlights include:

  • Over 50 new gardens will open their garden gates with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme for the first time
  • 26 group and village openings
  • 37 gardens opening as part of the Scottish Snowdrop Festival
  • 11 community and education gardens participating
  • An increasing trend towards wildlife-friendly and eco-conscious gardening

WELCOMING NEW GARDENS
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is excited to welcome new gardens great and small and despite a tradition of stately homes and castles, it continues to see an increase in the number of smaller gardens enquiring about opening with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme. These gardens are appealing to garden visitors, providing real-life inspiration for their own gardens. However, castles and large gardens remain very popular for an insight into gardening on a grand scale.

Sunflower Dreams in Nairn (13 July) truly lives up to its name; the garden is a wildlife-friendly space with upcycled features and filled with blooms, including helichrysum, dahlias, nicotiana,  bedding plants – and of course sunflowers – all grown from seed in the owners’ greenhouse. Plenty of inspiration for those gardening on a budget.

Meanwhile, another newcomer to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, Aldourie Castle (11 August) sits in a wonderful position overlooking Loch Ness. The garden has been designed by Tom Stuart-Smith and is an ambitious modern re-imagining of a traditional castle garden and grounds, including a 1.3 acre walled garden with a large productive area hosting a range of vegetables and cut flowers.

PLANT SALES & SPECIAL EVENTS

As well as a range of plant sales where visitors can snap up plant bargains, often including the rare and unusual, some gardens also include special features in their open days to make the day go with a swing.  Redcroft (11 & 12 May) and 20 Blackford Road (2 June), both in Edinburgh, will feature musical entertainment at their open days. Westgate in Dundee (19 & 20 October) and 12 Chatelherault Avenue in Glasgow (14 September) both feature later season openings, with the opportunity for an atmospheric evening, as the former garden is floodlit and the latter will feature pizza from their garden pizza oven.

Some events hark back to their historic origins with traditional family fun days; Drummond Castle near Crieff (4 August), with its magnificent Italianate parterre will run its lovely annual open day for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, which features family attractions, ice cream and teas in August. In East Lothian, Winton Castle (14 April) celebrates the start of spring – and its 90th open day with Scotland’s Gardens Scheme – with its wonderful garden fete where visitors can meander through swathes of thousands of daffodils.

CELEBRATING SNOWDROPS
Scotland’s Gardens Scheme celebrates the Scottish Snowdrop Festival with 37 participating gardens, including beautiful white carpets of thousands of snowdrops at Danevale in Kirkcudbrightshire (18 February), Craig in Dumfriesshire (18 February) or curated collections of rare and unusual treasures at Bruckhills Croft in Aberdeenshire (by arrangement 3 February to 17 March), Shepherd House in East Lothian (18 February and Tuesdays/Thursdays throughout the month) and 10 Pilmuir Road West in Moray (by arrangement 25 January – 11 March). Scone Palace will also open its gates for the charity with the chance to join Head Gardener, Beechgrove regular and Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Ambassador, Brian Cunningham and his team to plant snowdrops in the green on Sunday 25th February.

Read more about snowdrop gardens here: https://scotlandsgardens.org/snowdrops-and-winter-walks/

WILDLIFE- FRIENDLY AND ECO-CONSCIOUS GARDENING

Reflecting the growing trend across many UK gardens, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme’s 2024 programme includes an increasing number of gardens that actively seek to incorporate environmentally-friendly practises in their gardens. Indeed, there are few gardens these days that don’t include a pollinator patch, compost heap, unmown section of grass or wildlife-friendly corner of the garden, however small, and garden visitors find these touches fascinating and take inspiration for their own gardens.

A number of garden owners are beekeepers and you can find hives at quite a few; Barochreal in Argyl (by arrangement 1 May to 30 September) even has a purpose-built bee shelter to prevent hives from getting waterlogged in the area’s wet climate. The Moorhouse in the Scottish Borders (23 June) specialises in eco-friendly ‘grown not flown’ cut flowers, grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides and floristry and visitors will be able to see how they grow their cut flowers and experience bouquet workshops on their open day.  Over the past few years, Willowhill in Fife (by arrangement and also specific open dates from 27 April – 31 August) has created new ‘no dig’ herbaceous borders and visitors are invited to view these through the season and learn from the owners’ experience.  And a new group of gardens at Covington in Lanarkshire (16 June) will include wildflower meadows with 80 species spotted in 2023, and a moth expert who will be on hand to show the different species of moth found in gardens.

WHERE THE MONEY WENT IN 2023

Last year Scotland’s Gardens Scheme gave £289,700 in total to a range of good causes. The charity is unique in that 60% of funds raised may go to a cause selected by garden owners. Last year, over £230,000 went directly to charities and good causes chosen by garden owners. In addition, £16,000 each went to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme core charity partners, Perennial, Maggie’s and the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.  A new bursary scheme launched in March 2023 gave £8,200 for grants to horticulturists in Scotland, for personal and professional training and development, administered by the Professional Gardeners’ Trust on behalf of Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, while a further £3,500 was donated to the National Trust for Scotland, supporting the professional development of their gardeners.

“We’re thrilled to launch another season of exciting garden open days to the public. As always, it’s such a pleasure to welcome a host of new gardens into the fold and we know our visitors take great pleasure and inspiration from these gardens, whatever their shape, style or size. Opening gardens is really a joyful way to raise money for charity and it’s such a ‘win-win’ – as well as fundraising, our gardeners and visitors are sharing good gardening practices, meeting new people and spending time together in the great outdoors – all such great ways to boost the wellbeing benefits of gardens and gardening. We hope you’ll join us in 2024.” said Liz Stewart, Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Chief Executive.

For details of all this and lots more to whet the appetite for the garden visiting season ahead, browse through the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme website or buy the 2024 guidebook, available on the website at scotlandsgardens.org.

ENDS

 If you would like a copy of the 2024 Guidebook, please email info@scotlandsgardens.org with your name and address.

For trade sales, books can be ordered through Bookspeed: https://www.bookspeed.com/product/140009/scottish-gardens-open-for-charity-2024-by-scotlands-gardens-scheme

For more information:

Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433
Jessica Taylor jessica@scotlandsgardens.org

https://scotlandsgardens.org

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme supports the opening of gardens throughout Scotland to the public, raising funds for charity through garden gate tickets, plant sales and teas. Most are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public at other times.  60% of funds raised at each garden opening may go to garden owner’s charity of choice with the remainder being donated to Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and its beneficiary charities, Maggie’s, the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland and Perennial. Scotland’s Gardens Scheme is powered by volunteers and has been raising funds for charity through garden openings since 1931.

Full garden details can be found at scotlandsgardens.org. Garden and charity highlights can also be found on:

X @ScotGardens   
Instagram @ScotlandGardenScheme  
Facebook @ScotlandsGardens  

TikTok @scotlandsgardens

LinkedIn
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/ScotlandsGardensScheme

Useful and stylish gifts from indie British gardening brand Genus

Useful and stylish gifts from indie British gardening brand Genus

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Ten Christmas gift ideas from Genus which specialises in performance garden clothing and accessories, designed by gardeners for gardeners.

£30 AND UNDER

Waterproof Gardening Gloves (£20): A totally waterproof glove that’s also flexible and light enough for fine work (it passes the important ‘tie string test’!). From Swedish company, Ejendals, the deep cuff fully covers wrists and is also elasticated, so no Velcro fastenings to get clogged up with soil and dust.  The upper side of the index finger and fingertips are all reinforced with synthetic leather reducing the risk of abrasion injuries. Sizes XS – 3XL.

Winter Gardening Cap (£25): Waterproof, windproof and breathable, this hardworking unisex hat is made for gardening in the harshest of weather conditions, to keep heads protected in the snow, wind and rain.  Designed to keep you dry, warm and comfortable and available in four sizes S – XL.

Rechargeable Handwarmer (£27): When the mercury drops, a rechargeable handwarmer is just the thing for restoring warmth and movement into cold, stiff fingers and this one doubles-up as a handy power bank for your phone. The ideal gift for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Cable Knit Merino Hat rust or mid-grey (£30). A premium, 100% felted merino wool hat to keep you warm whilst working in the garden during the coolest months. Made in the UK and designed to keep your head warm in the coldest weather whilst feeling luxuriously soft and comfortable. One size.

UNDER £50

Hori Hori Tool (£45): Often described as the world’s best gardening tool, the hori hori brings extraordinary versatility.  Hori hori means dig-dig in Japanese and the tool was originally used by bonsai enthusiasts to collect specimens. Ideal for digging, cutting, and slicing, this handy piece of kit continues to take the gardening world by storm.

Japanese Gardening Knife small (£35) large (£45): Traditional Japanese blade design – super sharp, ultimate simplicity, perfectly balanced. This folding knife, made from hi-carbon steel with a brass handle, stays open when you need it and closed when you don’t, without any locking device, just a flick of the finger.

UNDER £100

Men’s Eden Gardening Zip-Neck Top (£59): This lightweight, soft-touch zip-neck top in two colour choices (blue or charcoal) has been designed especially for gardeners. The easy-care fabric is made from recycled coffee grounds, is fast wicking to take moisture away from the body and quick drying if you get caught in a shower. Made with flat-lock seams for comfort, its long sleeves and thumb loops will keep wrists covered and protected from cuts and scratches, whilst the extra-long body keeps backs covered when bending and stretching. Sizes S – XL.

Gardening Caddy Bag (£69): Keep all your gardening tools, lunch and essentials close at hand with this monster load-carrying caddy that’s endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society. With eight capacious, external pockets and six generous internal pockets, it has a place for every possible garden accoutrement, including a D-ring with detachable clip to keep keys safe. There’s also a detachable, drawstring pouch for twine that can be attached to a belt to carry with you – pop in the twine, pull the drawstring closed and pull the twine as you need it. The tough fabric throughout, with reinforced base to withstand damp, makes carrying tools from job to job a breeze.

Japanese Secateurs (£80): Expertly crafted and uniquely hot forged from high carbon steel. Made from only two pieces of metal, with the blade and handle forming one piece, to give a stronger tool and better balance than European garden secateurs where the blade is welded to the handle. Packed in a beautifully distinct box.

Women’s Dixter Gardening Gilet (£99): Close-fitting to the body and specially designed for gardening, this gilet in two colour choices (marine blue or grape) is lightweight but cosy for that extra degree of warmth. Allowing full freedom of movement, the clever combination of stab-proof, cargo and deep hand pockets means you can also keep everything you need close to hand. Sizes 8 – 22

For further information and high res images, please contact:

Emma Mason / emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Sarah Cole / sarahcole@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07958 397637

NOTES FOR EDITORS

With high performance, technical wear that looks as good as it performs, clothing from Genus has been a hit with serious gardeners since 2013. Designed by gardeners for gardeners, its trousers and tops for all weathers, boasting UK-first designs, have proved a real hit with green-fingered Brits. The independently owned business is based in the Cotswolds and its hard-working gear has clever horti’ twists such as stab-proof pockets for secateurs, padded knees, raised waists for back protection and easy-care fabrics. Many lines are also endorsed by the RHS.

 

The RSPCA Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show: a call for UK gardeners to help stop wildlife decline

The RSPCA Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show: a call for UK gardeners to help stop wildlife decline

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‘We owe it to our children to ensure they still get to enjoy British wildlife,’ says Steve Backshall

The RSPCA is teaming up at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with award-winning designer, Martyn Wilson, to create a stylish sanctuary for wildlife and people alike – and it has a very important ‘take-home’ message.

The RSPCA Garden designed by Martyn Wilson

A contemporary interpretation of a wildlife garden, The RSPCA Garden highlights the public’s vital role in protecting wild animals and birds. As well as looking beautiful, it is packed with ideas you can easily recreate at home, whatever space you have, and is designed to challenge the view that wildlife gardens are untidy or unfashionable.

RSPCA vice president Steve Backshall said we owe it to future generations to take action now.

The TV wildlife host said: “We owe it to our children to ensure they still get to enjoy British wildlife like previous generations before them. But the rapid decline of some of our most loved species like hedgehogs, red squirrels and some butterflies means some of our favourite British animals may soon only exist in zoos. This is terrifying, and should spur every single one of us into taking action.

“We are reaching a critical turning point but we can take positive actions now to help create the future we want for our children, our wildlife and our planet.

“Everyone can join the RSPCA to be a Wildlife Friend volunteer, picking up litter to prevent an animal getting injured, putting down a saucer of water for thirsty birds or making a simple bug hotel to give bees somewhere to rest.

“These tiny acts of kindness can collectively make a huge difference for the wildlife we share our communities with, and which we rely on for our survival.”

The RSPCA is hoping the Chelsea project inspires people to carry out small acts of kindness for wildlife they share their neighbourhoods with, as part of their Wildlife Friends scheme.

A raised wildlife-watching ‘hide’ made from UK-grown Douglas fir and larch, with a green roof and wall-mounted bee hotels, is designed to be a refuge in nature for an RSPCA volunteer after a busy shift. Elsewhere in the garden, natural stone feature walls house contemporary bird nesting boxes; while a modern corten steel interpretation of a ‘dead hedge‘, with hidden hedgehog houses, creates habitats for birds, mammals and insects, whilst also recycling garden materials.

A central water feature formed from recycled plastic waste is a nod to the RSPCA rescuing almost 4,000 animals trapped in or injured by litter last year (2022). Providing movement, sound and a drink for wildlife, it symbolises the rescue-rehabilitate-release cycle of care given to thousands of animals at the charity’s four specialist wildlife centres.

Enclosed by hedging and a canopy of native trees and shrubs vital for birds and wildlife, planting is in a multi-layered naturalistic style in shades of green, whites and tones of blue with pollinator-friendly plants. A bronze sculpture of two otters, by Simon Gudgeon, is inspired by otters in the charity’s care.

The project is being generously funded by Project Giving Back, and the garden will be relocated at the end of the event to RSPCA Stapeley Grange, the charity’s wildlife rehabilitation and education centre in Cheshire, in time for the charity’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2024.

It will continue to provide sanctuary for wildlife, but also for visitors – including young people, families and vulnerable adults, who already visit the centre for support with emotional wellbeing and resilience. The space will bring essential animal welfare education to communities who have fewer opportunities to get out and about in nature.

There are about 23 million gardens in the UK. The area of all the gardens in England together is more than four times the amount of land in nature reserves*, so gardens are the secret weapon in saving our much-loved British wildlife from this devastating decline.

Filming on The RSPCA Garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Designer Martyn visited an RSPCA specialist wildlife centre and took inspiration from its dedicated rehabilitation work in the design of his garden. He said: “The RSPCA Garden is modern and stylish and shows that wildlife gardens don’t necessarily have to be untidy. I really hope people will be inspired to create their own wildlife sanctuary at home.”

Ends

 Notes to editors:

Media Contacts:

Catherine Peerless, RSPCA head of media 07817 550270 catherine.peerless@rspca.org.uk

Lucy Cooper, RSPCA national press officer 07990 717074 lucy.cooper@rspca.org.uk

Emma Mason, Emma Mason PR (for Wilson Associates Garden Design) 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk

 

RHS Resilient Garden – sustainable gardening for a changing climate by award-winning designer Tom Massey

RHS Resilient Garden – sustainable gardening for a changing climate by award-winning designer Tom Massey

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GARDENS FIT FOR THE FUTURE 

TOM MASSEY COMBINES NEW RHS CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH WITH CUTTING EDGE DESIGN & VIRTUAL REALITY

6 April 2023 | £27.00 | Hardback | 256 pages

  • In the first book to feature latest RHS climate change research, celebrated designer Tom Massey uses his expert knowledge and virtual reality to showcase an immersive garden for the future
  • Advice on how to create productive outdoor spaces that are brilliant for biodiversity
  • Techniques to help reduce the impact of climate change such as resilient gardening; analysing your plot; practical projects; sustainable materials and plant choices
  • A ‘climate emergency’ call to action for gardeners to work with the environment, the book includes case studies of innovative resilient gardens from around the world and interviews with leading scientists, experts and growers
  • Tips on building your own backyard food forest, green roof and swale planting, rainwater harvesting, hügelkultur mounds, rewilded zones and choosing anti-pollution plants
  • One of the foremost designers of his generation, Tom Massey runs his own London-based design studio, has appeared on BBC show ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’ and won multiple awards including a gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021

Award-winning designer Tom Massey uses the very latest RHS climate change research and ground-breaking design techniques to show how we can future-proof our gardens, making them more sustainable, resilient, and beautiful places to enjoy for years to come.

RHS Resilient Garden innovatively taps into the virtual world, inviting the reader to explore a computer-generated garden for the future, inspired by the principles outlined by Tom in this, his debut, book.

Providing a passionate narrative into why, and how, gardeners can make changes in their outdoor spaces, Tom gives an expert insight from gardens and people he has met around the world. Fascinating case studies of intelligent, sustainable garden designs are punctuated throughout with practical and relatable advice for gardeners to learn and understand how they can make the right plant and design choices, for their own gardens.

RHS Resilient Garden is grounded in the latest research. The book explains the importance of planting mixed hedging for pollution trapping, how a patio affects waterlogging, the benefits of green walls and roofs for insects and pollinators, how to rewild patches of our gardens, why we should all compost and use circular waste systems, and how to reap the rewards of a backyard food forest.

Readers worldwide will be able to analyse the needs of their plot, looking at wind, sun, soil, water, wildlife, air quality and carbon. Tom offers innovative ideas on how we can all combat ‘eco-anguish’ with positive solutions to inspire gardeners to do ‘their bit’ to help and support the environment and wildlife.

With diagrams and infographics to illustrate key concepts, the book contains stunning images of Tom’s design ideas.

RHS Resilient Garden is believed to be the first garden design book to use immersive virtual reality. Via a QR code, readers are transported into Tom’s virtual garden for the future, seeing for themselves how a small urban garden can be transformed from the ordinary to an extraordinarily beautiful and sustainable design.

Tom said: “Radical and resilient garden design has been employed throughout history and we need to learn from the inspiring pioneers so that we can become the radicals of the future.

“I wanted to share what I have learnt from inspiring people and places around the world and from the latest research undertaken by the RHS and others, to show that we can all come together as gardeners and collectively make a difference. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the climate emergency, but if all gardeners come together to make small, ecologically focused changes, this will combine to have a big impact in helping to mitigate the effects of climate change and halt biodiversity decline. Together we can build a network of sustainable and resilient gardens designed for the future.”

ENDS

For further information contact Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430 or Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Notes for editors:  

About the Author Tom Massey works with nature to produce sustainable, ecological and beautifully designed gardens that support wildlife, promote biodiversity and use sustainable growing mediums. After graduating from the London College of Garden Design at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, he founded Tom Massey Studio in 2015. His work has won multiple awards, including a gold medal and BBC People’s Choice Award for the Yeo Valley Organic Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021. Tom also appeared on the BBC2 television series ‘Your Garden Made Perfect’ in 2021 and 2022.

  • In 2021, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned that more extreme weather is to be expected in coming years: some 87% of UK homes have a garden, making up to 433,000 hectares of land that can be used in the fight against climate change
  • Responding to climate change was a key issue at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September 2021: the COP26 Garden demonstrated how gardens play an integral part in protecting our planet to ensure a greener, more resilient future
  • The RHS has recently launched its Sustainability Strategy, raising awareness of the effects of climate change on gardens both in the UK and worldwide

ABOUT DK

DK | For the curious

We believe in the power of discovery. That’s why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

Not Another Jungle by Tony Le-Britton – how to take your houseplant growing to the next level

Not Another Jungle by Tony Le-Britton – how to take your houseplant growing to the next level

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Comprehensive care for extraordinary houseplants by leading houseplant influencer Tony Le-Britton

6 April 2023 | £16.99 | Hardback | 155 pages

HOW TO TAKE YOUR HOUSEPLANT GROWING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

  • Expert advice on how to care for some of the most desirable and beautiful houseplants available so they can thrive in your home
  • Award-winning photographer Tony Le-Britton switched his career focus during lockdown and is now one of the UK’s leading indoor ‘plantfluencers’ @NotAnotherJungle with 221k followers
  • Self-taught and now a professional grower, Tony is a prolific houseplant collector of some of the world’s rarest plants
  • Includes myth-busting, tips on watering, propagating, feeding, lighting, pests and diseases, as well as sustainability, responsible growing and sourcing
  • The science of how houseplants actually grow explained
  • Inspirational step-by-step ‘how to’ photography and stunning images of the rare plant jewels in Tony’s own collection – ideal for those obsessed with houseplants and newbie owners too

One of the country’s most popular growers Tony Le-Britton, shares his infectious passion and expansive knowledge for houseplants in his debut book Not Another Jungle.

Tony’s new book is aimed at anyone who loves houseplants and wants to find out how to progress their rare plant collections, and how to help them flourish with bespoke care techniques. For houseplant novices there are his easy-to-follow tips and methods for ensuring their plants not only survive but thrive. Tony’s personal and easy-to-read text helps ensure everyone can understand how to get the best from their houseplants.

Tony, who began as an amateur enthusiast and is now a leading professional grower with his own houseplant shop, says: “I want to help readers take their houseplant growing to the next level, by sharing my knowledge and explaining how to care for and nurture your plants, but also the reasons behind why we do what we do for them and why plants behave in certain ways.”

A breakout social media star, Tony, aka @NotAnotherJungle, has established a large following with his calming plant-filled videos, helpful advice and intriguing peeks inside his stunning indoor greenhouse at home. He actively engages with his audience, and shares so much of his passion, his followers feel they are there growing the plants with him. His book cleverly covers everything houseplant lovers need, with detailed chapters on light, water, humidity, fertiliser, variegation, propagation, and pests and diseases so you can confidently care for your inside garden.

Having travelled the world to explore and learn about plants in their natural habitats, Tony empowers readers to create the optimum environment in their own home so their plants will thrive. Combining detailed information and stunning imagery, the book’s curated plants include Monstera, Anthurium, Philodendron, Rhaphidophora, Alocasia and Begonia, with a special focus on desirable and unusual varieties, including beautiful variegated plants.

Tony discusses the history of plant exploration, touching on the impact to indigenous peoples and habitats, and the blight of modern-day plant poaching. He gives practical advice on how to source and grow plants responsibly, encouraging readers to value their collections, rehome rather than throw away, and use environmentally friendly growing materials and practices.

Tony says: “I want to make sure that enthusiasts choose a plant that is right for their specific growing conditions – my aim is to enable everyone to be successful with houseplants. I also want to inspire them to explore plant growing and to cut down on unnecessary waste by keeping their plants longer and rejecting the throwaway plant culture. It’s a win-win. The feeling that comes from nurturing individual living things and seeing them grow is something that can’t be rivalled.”

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors:

Tony Le-Britton is a self-taught grower and prolific houseplant collector of some of the world’s rarest plants. Taught to garden as a child by his grandparents, this book will bring together 30 years of growing experience and plant knowledge. His Instagram account @NotAnotherJungle has built up over 188k followers since he set it up in 2020 and many ask for plant care advice. Featured on BBC Gardeners’ World. He is also one of the UK’s most respected hair and beauty photographers. https://www.hji.co.uk/latest/tony-le-britton-photographer

DK | For the curious

We believe in the power of discovery. That’s why we create books for everyone that explore

ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

 

 

Classic looks, hand-crafted and made in the UK – 2023 garden range from Arthur Jack & Co

Classic looks, hand-crafted and made in the UK – 2023 garden range from Arthur Jack & Co

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Arthur Jack & Co has expanded its hand-crafted garden range for 2023 with a stunning self-contained water feature and a classic window box designed to fit bay window side sills.

Like the rest of Arthur Jack’s luxury products, both are forged from galvanised steel by artisans in the UK, are made to last for years and are guaranteed to add a touch of classic style to your home or garden.

Clockwise, from top left – Water feature; small obelisk; small window box and small water butts

Water feature – Perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, Arthur Jack’s water feature contains everything needed to add a beautiful and calming focal point. It is self-contained so no water supply is needed and is ideal on a paved terrace, in a conservatory, or garden room. Size – 82cm long x 48cm deep x 97cm at the highest point.  Weight – 45kg. Price £895 + delivery £80

Small window box – Designed specially to fit the side bay window sills of traditional Edwardian, Victorian and Georgian houses, Arthur Jack’s new 15cm x 18cm x 45cm long window box will add real curb appeal.  Adjustable legs make the box level on a slanted window sill and aid drainage, and a drilled base prevents waterlogging.

This new addition to the range is a perfect companion to Arthur Jack’s longer window boxes [85cm or 110cm long] designed to fit the front sills of a traditional bay window. They can all be used as terrace or decking edging, or, with an optional U bolt, can be hung from railings. A bottom tray is also available for all window boxes to stop water discolouring the sill.  New small window box £125 + delivery £30.

Also from Arthur Jack

Obelisk range: ideal for vigorous climbing plants and a show-off feature for your garden, particularly in autumn and winter. Both obelisks feature steel lattice work so plant tendrils can grasp onto the structure, helping to avoid the need for tying in. Made of thick galvanised steel and decorated with Arthur Jack trademark coach bolts.

Small – standing 1.4m above ground, designed as a stand-alone or will fit snugly into an Arthur Jack large planter. Delivered fully assembled.

Weight 18kg, dimensions 142cm high (excluding legs of 30cm) x 45cm sq at base. Price: £545 + delivery

Large – at over 2m high, this makes a bold statement in its own right, even during winter without climbing plants. Arrives fully assembled in two sections that can be simply slotted together and tightened with a screwdriver.

Weight 25kg, dimensions 213cm high (excluding legs of 45cm) x 40cm sq at base. Price: £845 + delivery

Large round planter: perfect for topiary, roses, shrubs or small trees, this heavy-duty garden planter looks stunning next to your front door, on a terrace or in an herbaceous border. Decorated with Tudor roses and decorative balls. Made in 1.5mm galvanised steel, there are 6cm feet to keep the base clear and the bottom panel is drilled to allow free drainage. Steel top hoop with a hammered finish.

Weight 20 kg, dimensions 65cm x 50cm. Price £395 + delivery

Arthur Jack’s galvanised steel range includes hand-crafted window boxes, garden planters, trough, water butts, boot wash and scraper. More information, including full pricing and how to order, can be found at www.arthurjack.co.uk.

ENDS

For further media information please contact: Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or 07762 117433

Notes for editors: Arthur Jack’s steel planters, water butts, window boxes, obelisks, water feature and boot scrapers are the result of a great deal of research by a couple of keen gardeners, who were unable to find exactly what they wanted for their own garden.

Made of heavy gauge galvanised steel, they are decorated in a traditional Georgian style complete with Tudor roses and decorative balls. The bottom panels on the garden planters are drilled to allow free drainage and there are feet in each corner to keep the base clear.

They are made in England by artisan metal craftsmen, and then finished with a special treatment to give them an aged patina. Their many uses in the garden are as containers for topiary box ball, roses, small shrubs, trees and flowers. Because they are hot dip galvanised they will have a long life.

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden

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Seasonal produce and home-grown wisdom from one gardener’s allotment year 

by Rekha Mistry

2 February 2023 | £18.99 | Hardback |  192 pages

The urban gardener who swapped a successful business for an ‘allotment career’ – Rekha spills the beans on growing delicious veg throughout the year

·         In her first book, Rekha Mistry reveals how to grow more than 40 seasonal crops with garden and kitchen tips, monthly tasks, and favourite seed varieties

·         From successful businesswoman to busy north London allotment blogger and garden writer, Rekha Mistry is now a regular presenter on BBC TV Gardeners’ World where she shares her 30+ years’ experience from a self-taught amateur to professional gardener.

·         Ideal for those who love cooking and eating seasonally, the book is organised by the time of year crops are harvested

In her debut book, Rekha’s Kitchen Garden, garden and food writer Rekha Mistry shares her veg’ growing secrets from her inspiring North London allotment that bursts with the very best seasonal produce all year round.

With easy-to-follow tips on how to grow organic vegetables, fruits and herbs, the book is packed with personality, humour, honesty and stunning photography that follows a full growing year on Rekha’s allotment. As a firm believer in cooking and eating seasonal food, the author has designed the book around when crops are harvested, to ensure you can make the most of your tasty produce.

Seasonal ‘Garden tips’ on every page offer advice and solutions that Rekha uses in her own allotment, while ‘Kitchen tips’ reveal how Rekha makes the most of her harvest. ‘Planting partners introduce readers to companion planting, while suggested varieties reveal the crops that Rekha recommends from her own growing experience.

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden also brims with advice on how to grow organically, prevent disease and pests and how to successfully try crop rotation. There is also a very handy month-by-month task list for the home, greenhouse and outdoors so you can keep your growing on track.

Rekha also shares her inspiring gardening journey from helping her mother on her childhood Zambian kitchen garden, to her current plot. She said: “I wasn’t born with a silver garden fork in my hand. In the beginning, I was self-taught, learning along the way. I asked questions. I researched how I could grow food organically and sustainably. I scoured second-hand gardening books, picking up tips from these writers and experts.

“Before long, my allotment became far more than a pastime. I said goodbye to a successful 25-year career running our family business, started my gardening blog, and discovered a love for photography. I enrolled for an RHS diploma in Horticulture, which led to work as a professional gardener in a prestigious London garden – and at the same time kick-started a career as a garden and food writer and TV presenter.

“Now, my love for fresh produce has outgrown the paradise that was my mother’s kitchen garden; it’s outgrown that tiny space that doubled as a family football pitch. It has become a way for me to share my experiences, my expertise, and – more importantly – my love for all things grow-your-own. It has led, one way or another, to this book.”

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors:

Rekha Mistry is a writer and kitchen gardener, named by Country Living Magazine as one to watch in 2021. After reaching the quarter-final of the BBC’s Big Allotment Challenge in 2015 and achieving the RHS Diploma in Horticulture, she is now a regular writer for BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and the RHS, and worked as a gardener at the historic Inner Temple Garden. Her North London allotment appears on Gardeners’ World (BBC), and as a gardening influencer her Instagram account @Rekha.garden.kitchen has over 100k followers.

Nature heals: Pioneering intensive care project opening at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital

Nature heals: Pioneering intensive care project opening at Plymouth’s Derriford Hospital

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  • Bespoke outdoor/indoor treatment area fitted with specialist equipment so critical care patients can spend time in the fresh air and sunshine whilst fully ventilated 
  • Outdoor garden space designed by award-winning BBC TV gardening expert, wheelchair user and former ICU patient Mark Lane
  • Embracing the benefits of nature aims to improve rehab experience and outcomes for seriously ill patients and families 

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is to harness the positive healing power of nature by encouraging intensive care patients to spend time outdoors, even whilst fully ventilated, thanks to a new £625k treatment area opening in December 2022. 

Patients and staff will be able to feel the breeze and sun on their faces when the bespoke critical care rehabilitation garden room, called The Secret Garden, opens at Derriford Hospital, part of University Hospitals Plymouth (UHP) NHS Trust.

Innovatively, the unit’s life-saving ventilation equipment will be able to run outdoors in the courtyard garden, meaning patients can spend time outside, in a non-clinical environment – an important recovery steppingstone for many. Uniquely, it has been designed by Mark Lane, the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair, who himself spent months in a critical care unit after a serious car crash.

The project was inspired by a former patient, Andrew Heveran’s desire to get outside, to feel fresh air, after a life changing attack that left him paralysed. Andrew will be there to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

Kate Tantam, Critical Care Specialist Rehabilitation Sister, who spearheaded the project, said: “Our patients and their loved ones tell us that being in critical care is like a bomb going off in your life, that everything is blown apart. Our job as a multi-professional team is to support them in rebuilding their lives.

“Part of supporting people with their recovery journey after critical care is getting to know them as individuals and exploring with them what they most want out of their future.  For many it is simply time with loved ones, time to restore relationships and play with children and grandchildren in non-clinical environments. It was the desire to support this that the idea for the secret garden at University Hospitals Plymouth was born.”

Getting patients who require ventilation to support their breathing outside in the fresh air takes a lot of work. “They need a team of people and it is not without risk. It is also very challenging in busy hospitals to find private spaces, where patients can relax without feeling overlooked,” said Dr Sam Waddy Critical Care Consultant at UHP.

The team decided in 2018 it needed to build a bespoke garden space where ventilated patients and the critically ill could be cared for in the fresh air with all the specialist equipment that requires. With no similar facilities in the Southwest like this at the time, the staff knew it was going to be a big challenge, made even more complex as COVID-19 hit a year into the project.

Despite this, the team raised the funds for the garden thanks to Plymouth Hospitals Charity, NHS Charities Together and the Trust’s budget.  The new-look secret garden is a bespoke critical care therapy space with floor to ceiling glass exposing a walled flower garden.  Full of nurturing botanicals it provides a space for patients, loved ones and staff to recover together.

Mark Lane has designed the garden to be fully inclusive and accessible, with space for beds and wheelchairs, walking frames and sticks, and with slip-resistant, anti-glare, self-binding gravel surfaces. There will be mixed height planting, some in-ground, others in raised beds so patients laying down or seated can see plants. He said: “Outdoor, green spaces are enjoyed by many, but when your life turns a different corner and you end up in ICU, like I did after my car accident, you become completely unaware of the changing seasons, whether it’s sunny or raining outside and, if like me, you’re fortunate to be able to go outside again the first thing that hits you is the sun on your face, the breeze and the colour green.

“So, when I was commissioned to design this garden for Derriford I felt truly honoured to be able to create a space for patients to enjoy, to improve their physical and mental wellbeing by introducing a Secret Garden. Yes, it’s an awkward space with high walls around all four sides, but this lent itself to a nurturing woodland-style of garden with pops of colour here and there. I wanted the patients to feel the plants and enjoy the textures, engage with the garden, whether that be passively or actively getting their hands dirty during rehabilitation and have a space to reflect. I know, because of the incredible staff, and their amazing fundraising activities, that this garden will flourish over the years and make a huge difference to people’s lives, patients, visitors and staff.”

The secret garden has gone from an abandoned courtyard, to a bespoke critical care garden room with specialist capacity to facilitate full care for ICU patients and their loved ones wherever they are in their recovery journey.  It also provides a welcome outside space for clinical staff to support them with the challenges of working in ICU.

ENDS

Notes for editors:

Mark Lane – Mark Lane has gained recognition as a first-class landscape designer, being the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair, as well as the first BBC gardening presenter in a wheelchair. As a broadcaster, he’s the gardening expert on BBC One’s Morning Live. He has also been a presenter of the award-winning Gardeners’ World on BBC Two as well as for BBC Gardeners’ World Live and the BBC’s coverage of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Flower Shows – Chelsea, Chatsworth, Hampton Court Palace and Tatton. In 2001 Mark was in a car accident and had to have operations on his spine, which were complicated by him being born with spina bifida. Following a long rehabilitation period Mark studied garden/landscape design through an Open Learning course at KLC, Hampton Court.

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust – If you would like more information on the hospital itself or want to talk to staff please contact communications.phnt@nhs.net

 

Importance of garden wildlife ponds highlighted as ‘Dragonfly Hotspot’ proves a flying success at Exbury Gardens

Importance of garden wildlife ponds highlighted as ‘Dragonfly Hotspot’ proves a flying success at Exbury Gardens

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·         Dragonfly Week (16-24 July) celebrates the importance of these wonderful creatures and the simple changes homeowners can make to attract them into their own back gardens

A five-year project to attract more dragonflies to a south coast tourist attraction has been a soaraway hit with more than double the number of species recorded at a ‘DragonflyHotspot’ pond in Exbury Gardens – and visitors are being urged to install their own wildlife ponds too.

Dragonflies are crucial bio-indicators of the health of the UK’s rivers, canals and ponds but modern-day development, drainage and pollution have threatened numbers.

Designed with the help of the UK’s leading dragonfly experts, an existing large ornamental pond at Exbury was adapted for the insects with dragonfly-friendly plants. The aim is to inspire visitors to attract dragonflies into their own gardens.

New data shows since creating this dragonfly-friendly habitat, Exbury is now attracting more than double the number of dragonfly species compared to previous years. Twenty-two types of dragonfly and damselfly have been recorded including the Emperor, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Migrant Hawker and the Downy Emerald.

 Last summer Exbury was granted Hotspot status by the British Dragonfly Society, recognising it as one of the best places in the UK to see these dazzling creatures. During Dragonfly Week (16-24 July 2022), volunteers from the charity will be on hand at Exbury to help visitors identify dragonflies and give them tips on how to attract them to their gardens.

 Tom Clarke, head gardener at Exbury Gardens, said: “Although our pond is on a large scale here at Exbury, many of the changes we’ve made to attract dragonflies can be done on a much smaller scale in your own back garden. By installing a tiny wildlife pond, adding some plants for the dragonfly larvae and adults to thrive on, and making sure the water is clear, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your pond will attract all sorts of wildlife, including dragonflies. You really don’t need lots of space or a big budget.”

 Experts and dragonfly ambassadors Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and Kari de Koenigswarter have helped Exbury with the project. Ruary said: “We began work on creating an ideal habitat for dragonflies in 2017. Before that, just ten types had been recorded at the pond. Now we have recorded 22! It just shows what putting in three sorts of aquatic plants – oxygenators, surface-coverers and tall-stemmed plants – can do. Plenty of sunshine and very few fish helps too! And these insects are not only stunningly beautiful, they also tell us a great deal about water quality.”

 Exbury’s Dragonfly Pond includes floating pontoons so visitors can get close to the wildlife action, identification boards and an outdoor shelter for local groups and school children. Its popular Rhododendron Line steam railway even has a Dragonfly Halt platform to make it easy for more people to explore the area.

Exbury Gardens is one of seven Dragonfly Hotspots in England, and the first in Hampshire. DragonflyHotspots are special places, carefully chosen by the British Dragonfly Society because they support a good variety of dragonfly and damselfly species, are easy to access, and can provide opportunities for local communities to get involved with dragonfly conservation and events.

ENDS

For further information or images, contact PR Emma Mason on 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or  Veronica Chrisp on 023 8024 5754 veronica.chrisp@exbury.co.uk

Notes for editors:

Exbury Gardens, located in the New Forest near Southampton, is open daily from 10am – 5.30pm. Arrival time slots must be booked online in advance at www.exbury.co.uk  Thanks to its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, Exbury Gardens is famed for its riot of spring colour, as well as a vast array of beautiful, mature rare trees. Over recent years the Hampshire garden has been expanded for all-season interest with areas designed to show off summer and autumn ‘flower power’, as well as an extension of its 1 ½-mile Rhododendron Line steam railway.

 British Dragonfly Society – Over the last 60 years we have witnessed the extinction of two species of dragonfly in the British Isles (Norfolk Damselfly Coenagrion armatum and Orange-spotted Emeral Oxygastra curtisii ). At least a third of the remainder are considered to be rare, localised and have specialised habitat requirements. The British Dragonfly Society (BDS), set up in 1983, is the world’s largest organisation dedicated to the study and conservation of dragonflies, damselflies and their wetland habitats.

It is a volunteer-led membership organisation, carrying out and supporting research on dragonflies, and leading practical conservation, education and public engagement activities to teach people about the importance of dragonflies and their wetland habitats.

 The greatest threats to dragonfly populations come from habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, inappropriate habitat management, alteration of site hydrology and the impacts of climate change. It works hard to research and identify changes in populations, as well as to advise on creating and managing suitable habitats, and to educate and engage the wider public to engender greater care for these charismatic insects.

Dragonfly facts:

  • They have been around for over 300 million years, way before the dinosaurs existed.
  • They can indicate the quality of both aquatic and terrestrial habitats thanks to their fascinating life cycle.
  • They are climate change indicators, as they will respond to air and water temperature changes by expanding or contracting their range.
  • They have a 95% success rate when hunting, making them one of the most efficient hunters on the planet.
  • Some larger dragonflies have been recorded flying up to 30mph
The bog wins GOLD! Top award at RHS Chelsea for peatland display showing gardeners how to protect landscapes by switching to peat-free composts

The bog wins GOLD! Top award at RHS Chelsea for peatland display showing gardeners how to protect landscapes by switching to peat-free composts

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An immersive display boasting a real piece of ‘borrowed’ Cumbrian peatbog to highlight the critical importance of UK peatlands to our climate, and urging gardeners to ditch using peat, has won a gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The unique exhibit is designed by the Eden Project and presented in partnership with peat-free compost maker Dalefoot Composts and uses a little piece of Cumbrian peatland on loan under special license from Natural England.

In the Discovery Zone display at the show, gardeners are invited ‘to step into’  Bolton Fell Moss National Nature Reserve (NNR), a restored Cumbrian bog previously used to harvest peat for horticulture, to experience the secrets, sounds and beauty of these enormous bog gardens.

They can hear sounds from a peatland – curlews, lapwing, the hum of billions of insects and the occasional squelch – whilst getting up close to the fascinating bog plants – sphagnum mosses, cotton grass, cranberries, and heathers. The peatland display is being given expert care whilst at the show to make sure it remains hydrated and will be returned to its natural home once Chelsea has finished.

The aim of the exhibit is to demonstrate the importance of peat bogs and the environmental damage gardeners are causing to our planet by using peat compost in their outdoor spaces.

Alongside the peatland, a bountiful potager of vegetables and companion planting grown by gold-medal-winning Pennard Plants, illustrates what gardeners can achieve in their own plot by switching to peat-free gardening. All of these plants have been grown in Dalefoot Compost’s peat-free products which are Soil Association-approved for organic growing.

Professor Jane Barker is the co-founder of Dalefoot Composts which is a major manufacturer of peat-free compost and a leading restorer of damaged peatlands, including the Bolton Fell Moss NNR site in Cumbria. She said: “We’re absolutely thrilled by this award and so pleased that peat-free gardening is being recognised in this way. I hope people visiting our special piece of Cumbrian peatland will come away understanding why using peat is no longer acceptable, and how easy it is to make simple climate friendly switches in your garden.”

Tracey Smith, Eden’s Commercial Manager, said: “We’re delighted to have received this gold medal – thank you to the judges and everyone who has visited the stand for their enthusiasm and kind comments!

“It’s really exciting for Eden to be back at the Chelsea Flower Show with a stand that highlights the huge importance of peat bogs and we hope that visitors will come away with a greater understanding and appreciation for these vital habitats. Working alongside our friends at Dalefoot, our aim with this stand was to change people’s perceptions of peat bogs, showing that they are thriving environments, rich with biodiversity as well as being crucial for carbon sequestration. We’d urge all gardeners to make the switch to peat-free products – it’s the best decision for your garden and for the environment.”

The timeline of a bog is illustrated in the RHS Chelsea exhibit to show the thousands of years peat represents. Peat grows at only 1mm per year and this is contrasted to the bags of peat compost it yields and the short season of growth that peat gives gardeners.

Peatlands only occupy about 3% of the Earth’s land surface but are the largest terrestrial carbon store on the planet. UK peatlands cover around 12% of its land area and store 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, more than twice that of the UK’s forests*, as well as being very important habitats for biodiversity.

Whilst the Government has set targets for peatland restoration and is currently consulting on a peat ‘ban’, in amateur gardening there remains a significant resistance to switching to peat-free and it is predicted even more peat could be used in the future. Of the 5.44 million cubic metres of growing media used in 2020, 79% was used by amateur gardeners. Two-thirds of peat sold in the UK is from Europe, meaning we are effectively exporting our carbon footprint. Voluntary targets set for peat sellers have had little impact and the new target of ending peat sales by 2024 is being questioned for being too slow and not enough.

This is the latest initiative by Dalefoot Composts and the Eden Project to promote the sustainability benefits of peat-free gardening. Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Potting is endorsed by the world-renowned environmental charity and social enterprise, and the two organisations have plans to work together on other future initiatives.

Dalefoot is supporting six show gardens and exhibits at RHS Chelsea with its peat-free compost – The New Blue Peter Garden: Discover Soil by Juliet Sargeant; Brewin Dolphin Garden by Paul Hervey-Brookes; The Mothers for Mothers – This Too Shall Pass Garden by Pollyanna Wilkinson; The Wild Kitchen Garden by Ann Treneman; RHS Queen’s Jubilee Photographic Exhibit by Dave Green, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency – Don’t Risk It! exhibit.

Two of the company’s peat-free composts were also finalists in the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2022 – Wool Compost for Potting and Wool Compost Double Strength.

ENDS

Stand GPA 105 in the Discovery Zone of the Great Pavilion – Stand AR 545 for Dalefoot Compost

Picture caption – Bevis Hughes (Eden Project), Simon Bland (co-founder Dalefoot Composts) and Tracey Smith (Eden Project) with the gold award

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Ben Foster, Media and Engagement Manager, bfoster@EdenProject.com  For more info, go to www.edenproject.com

Bolton Fell Moss is a lowland raised bog damaged through commercial extraction of peat but has since begun a journey of restoration thanks to an ongoing project by Natural England. Extraction ended in 2013 but left a vast expanse of dry, bare peat where limited wildlife could survive. Restoration work has raised the water levels; bog vegetation was then introduced but it will take time for the sphagnum mosses to cover the bare peat and for other bog plants to return. It could take up to 30 years for the bog to fully recover.

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and the business employs 25 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the country for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and Wildlife Trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than storing it. Dalefoot works with these agencies to help reduce carbon release and return the bogs to functioning, healthy eco-systems. In 2022 Dalefoot announced a total of 3.8 million tonnes of carbon saved through their restoration projects.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £12.75 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

* IUCN

The bog has landed! Peatland on display at RHS Chelsea to highlight how gardeners can protect landscapes by switching to peat-free composts

The bog has landed! Peatland on display at RHS Chelsea to highlight how gardeners can protect landscapes by switching to peat-free composts

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Curlews, lapwing, the hum of billions of insects…. and the occasional squelch – the sounds of a peatland captured and to be heard over a little piece of Cumbrian peatland, on loan from Natural England, and installed in the Discovery Zone at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The critical importance of UK peatlands to our climate will be brought home to gardeners at the show in this unique exhibit by peat-free compost maker Dalefoot Composts and the Eden Project.

Under special license from Natural England, a slice of bog ‘borrowed’ from peatland previously harvested for horticulture will go on show to demonstrate the environmental damage gardeners are causing to our planet by using peat compost in their outdoor spaces.

In the immersive Discovery Zone display, gardeners will be invited ‘to step into’ the borrowed slice of National Nature Reserve (NNR) peatland from a restored Cumbrian bog to experience the secrets, sounds and beauty of these enormous bog gardens. The peatland display will be given expert care whilst at the show to make sure it remains hydrated and will be returned to its natural home once Chelsea has finished.

Alongside, a bountiful potager of vegetables and companion planting grown by gold-medal-winning Pennard Plants, will illustrate what gardeners can achieve in their own plot by switching to peat-free gardening. All of these plants have been grown in Dalefoot Compost’s peat-free products which are Soil Association-approved for organic growing.

Peatlands only occupy about 3% of the Earth’s land surface but are the largest terrestrial carbon store on the planet. UK peatlands cover around 12% of its land area and store 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, more than twice that of the UK’s forests*, as well as being very important habitats for biodiversity.

Professor Jane Barker is the co-founder of Dalefoot Composts which is a major manufacturer of peat-free compost and a leading restorer of damaged peatlands, including the NNR site in Cumbria.

She said: “Up until now, the scientific understanding underpinning individual gardeners’ responsibility to climate change gardening has not been well communicated. We want to demonstrate how you can easily make a difference in your own garden by ditching the use of peat and switching to peat-free compost.

“The importance of peat and peatlands to our climate and the planet have also not been made clear or accessible for our gardeners, whilst trees have taken centre stage and are much easier to relate to. However, peat is hugely significant to our climate’s future.”

The timeline of a bog will be illustrated in the RHS Chelsea exhibit to show the thousands of years peat represents. Peat grows at only 1mm per year and this will be contrasted to the bags of peat compost it would yield and the short season of growth that peat might give gardeners.

Whilst the Government has set targets for peatland restoration and is currently consulting on a peat ‘ban’, in amateur gardening there remains a significant resistance to switching to peat-free and it is predicted even more peat could be used in the future. Of the 5.44 million cubic metres of growing media used in 2020, 79% was used by amateur gardeners. Two-thirds of peat sold in the UK is from Europe, meaning we are effectively exporting our carbon footprint. Voluntary targets set for peat sellers have had little impact and the new target of ending peat sales by 2024 is being questioned for being too slow and not enough.

This is the latest initiative by Dalefoot Composts and the Eden Project to promote the sustainability benefits of peat-free gardening. Dalefoot’s Wool Compost for Potting is endorsed by the world-renowned environmental charity and social enterprise, and the two organisations have plans to work together on other future initiatives.

Dalefoot will be supporting six show gardens and exhibits at RHS Chelsea with its peat-free compost

– The New Blue Peter Garden: Discover Soil by Juliet Sargeant; Brewin Dolphin Garden by Paul Hervey-Brookes; The Mothers for Mothers – This Too Shall Pass Garden by Pollyanna Wilkinson; The Wild Kitchen Garden by Ann Treneman; RHS Queen’s Jubilee Photographic Exhibit by Dave Green, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency – Don’t Risk It! exhibit.

Two of the company’s peat-free composts have also been shortlisted in the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year 2022 – Wool Compost for Potting and Wool Compost Double Strength.

ENDS

Stand GPA 105 in the Discovery Zone of the Great Pavilion – Stand AR 545 for Dalefoot Compost

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Ben Foster, Media and Engagement Manager, bfoster@EdenProject.com  For more info, go to www.edenproject.com

Bolton Fell Moss is a lowland raised bog damaged through commercial extraction of peat but has since begun a journey of restoration thanks to an ongoing project by Natural England. Extraction ended in 2013 but left a vast expanse of dry, bare peat where limited wildlife could survive. Restoration work has raised the water levels; bog vegetation was then introduced but it will take time for the sphagnum mosses to cover the bare peat and for other bog plants to return. It could take up to 30 years for the bog to fully recover.

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and the business employs 25 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the country for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and Wildlife Trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than storing it. Dalefoot works with these agencies to help reduce carbon release and return the bogs to functioning, healthy eco-systems. In 2022 Dalefoot announced a total of 3.8 million tonnes of carbon saved through their restoration projects.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £12.75 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists. Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

* IUCN

Mothers for Mothers RHS Chelsea garden

RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden of hope for mothers to raise awareness of Covid’s devastating impact on perinatal mental health

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  • The Mothers for Mothers Garden: “This too shall pass” designed by Pollyanna Wilkinson for Mothers for Mothers charity in the new show garden category ‘All About Plants’ at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.
  • Design and planting to echo the road to recovery for mothers experiencingmental health  
  • Covid restrictions have had a drastic impact on pregnant women, birthing people and new parents with partners barred from appointments, anxiety in the workplace, isolation due to a lack of family/peer contact, changes in antenatal care and fewer face-to-face appointments.
  • Planting from the garden will be relocated to Hartcliffe City Farm in Bristol after the show, close to Mothers for Mothers’ base

The Mothers for Mothers Garden, for the namesake Bristol-based charity, is a symbolic plant-filled garden showing the mental health journey mothers take in pregnancy and early parenthood. It will raise awareness of perinatalmental illness, and the added pressures of Covid, at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2022.

 The garden will feature a cloister of bronze-toned walls and archways to represent how long days at home with a baby can feel either like a sanctuary or a cage.

A fractured pathway through the garden surrounded first by muted, restrained planting will gradually transition to a joyful, feminine palette depicting the road to recovery, supported along the way by other mothers with a similar lived experience. True to this new show garden category, 78% of the garden will be plants – showing the impact a small space can have (6x8m).

Designer Pollyanna Wilkinson, a former mental health counsellor and mother of two young children, said: “The expression ‘this too shall pass’ is a mantra passed between women navigating motherhood and the mental healthchallenges that often come with it. The garden is based on the idea of transition – from despair to hope.”

The global pandemic and associated restrictions have had a devasting impact on pregnant women, those giving birth and new mums. Seven in every ten women1 who were pregnant or who had given birth during COVID said they had increased stress and struggled with the ability to cope with pregnancy or baby. 70% of new parents said the lockdown was negatively affecting their baby, and only a third said they were confident in being able to access mental healthsupport.

The garden is funded by the Project Giving Back scheme and supports the vital work of the Bristol charity Mothers for Mothers set up 40 years ago to help mums survive perinatal illness by offering peer support, therapies and counselling, as well as providing assistance for dads and partners.

Maria Viner, the charity’s CEO, said: “The theme of our garden is hope and reassurance. We would like visitors to walk away seeing that it’s possible to find your way back to yourself. For women who are struggling with their mental healthand emotional wellbeing during pregnancy or after the birth of their baby there is support and understanding available. There are people who have lived through this experience and recovered who have been trained to support you and will walk alongside you on your journey to recovery. With the right help and support you will get better.

“For others we hope that the message of hope will translate across whatever their own personal circumstances may be – that if you can find the courage to reach out there are often others who understand and who have walked the same path who can offer companionship, support and compassion without judgment, until you too feel more hopeful about your future.”

During the show, Mothers for Mothers plans to host campaign and fundraising events supported by CBRE and after the RHS Chelsea Flower Show plants from the garden will be relocated to Hartcliffe City Farm close to the charity’s Bristol base.

In terms of planting, the exuberant pink and apricot ruffled Iris ‘Wondrous’ will denote the colour returning to life; apricot Rosa ‘The Lark Ascending’ will provide a feminine and informal feel; tangerine tones of Verbascum‘Clementine’ will denote joy, and the pure blue hues of Anchusa azurea ‘Loddon Royalist’ will conversely symbolise low mood.

ENDS

For further information on the garden contact Pollyanna Wilkinson on polly@pollyannawilkinson.com 07534 506604 or Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433. For further information on Mothers for Mothers contact Maria.viner@mothersformothers.co.uk  07796 402667

1 The Fawcett Society

Pollyanna Wilkinson Garden Design: After a decade working in London in legal marketing, Polly retrained as a garden designer at the English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden before setting up her namesake studio, based in Surrey.   She later studied Horticulture at Merrist Wood.  Prior to her career in Garden Design, Polly volunteered as a counsellor for several years, working in a variety of settings from schools, to bereavement charities and maternal mentalhealth clinics.  As both a mother and qualified counsellor, the Mothers for Mothers garden holds very significant meaning to her. Polly has previously created two other show gardens, both at Hampton Court Flower Show. In 2018 she earned a Silver Gilt for her garden focusing on the mental health impacts of social media (A very modern problem) and in 2019 she created a garden focusing on nature crafts, earning a Silver medal and People’s choice award. Polly’s design style is a mix of elegance and practicality. She works on all manner of gardens – from country estates to roof terraces across London and the South West.

Mothers for Mothers: Since 1981 Mothers for Mothers has supported families affected by maternal mental illness and emotional wellbeing needs across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset and received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in their 40th year. They offer support to women and their families during pregnancy and until their youngest child attends school, from illness to wellness, through support services which include: Reach helpline/support calls, Home Visiting, Counselling, Antenatal wellbeing in pregnancy group and Peer Support Groups with a play support worker. The services are designed and delivered by women with lived experience of maternal mental illness.  Mothers for Mothers aim to achieve the following outcomes for the women and families they work with:

  • Improved confidence, resilience and relationships with children and family, leading to faster recovery.
  • Improving children’s emotional development by supporting mothers to be sensitive and responsive in their relationships with their children.
  • Reduced social isolation and improved social and support networks.
  • More awareness of maternalmental Health and the support available.
  • Improved care and services for maternalmental illness.

 

RHS The Creative Gardener by Adam Frost

RHS The Creative Gardener by Adam Frost

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RHS The Creative Gardener by Adam Frost

Inspirational projects and ideas to create the space you want

 31 March 2022 | £20 | Hardback | 256 pages

Be inspired to get practical and creative in the garden with Adam Frost and you could boost your mental well-being too

  • Adam Frost shares more than 25 design-led projects to make for the garden, with clear instructions and step-by-step photography
  • How to create furniture, wildlife habitats, planters, water features, plant supports and hard landscaping for your outdoor space, as well as clever design flourishes
  • Written by Adam during lockdown, the book encourages readers to enjoy the well-being benefits of the creative process as well as the finished project.
  • Google searches for ‘garden inspiration’ reached an all-time high in April 2021 as people are spending more time in their garden (Google Trends)

BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost shows you how to get hands-on in the garden to transform your outdoor space with heaps of practical tips and down-to-earth expert advice in his new book RHS The Creative Gardener.

Well known for his straightforward presenting style, and his award-winning design ideas, Adam combines these skills to offer realistic, achievable, impactful suggestions for creating great garden spaces.

In this ‘recipe book’ of ideas for your garden, published in March, Adam walks the reader through how to create dozens of design features with clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instructions.  RHS The Creative Gardener shows you how to personalise your ideas; recycle and upcycle what you already have; gain inspiration from different materials, textures, places and the nature around you, plus demonstrates there is something to suit everyone’s taste, space and budget.

“Through the process of writing this book, I’ve come to realise something important: whatever you’re making, be it big or small, complicated or easy, there’s as much pleasure to be had from the process as from the end result,” Adam says. “I also realised I get a deep sense of calm and satisfaction when I use my hands to make something.

“These days, it seems that we live in a world where it’s all about the end goal, the destination. I want this book to celebrate the benefits of taking your time to enjoy the journey and making the connection to the simple pleasures of learning new skills, using your hands, and spending time productively. It doesn’t matter if it takes you a weekend or three years to finish it, when you make something, you also create memories, and this is what gives your garden personality and soul.”

There are project ideas for everyone, ranging from the relatively simple such as seasonal planting suggestions for containers, a hazel ladder, coffee table planter, sparrow terrace nest box and a log seat, through to the more the complex including creating a cosy fire pit, green roof log store, carved bird bath, sleeper steps and a formal pond.

Easy to use guides on choosing the best tools to use for hard landscaping and in the workshop; where to find design inspiration, and even how to calculate materials and mark out your site are all included.

Inspired by his dad, uncle and grandfather, and reflecting back on his childhood when he ‘knocked bits of timber together’, Adam wrote the book during lockdown. “I’ve always loved using my hands, but it’s only recently dawned on me that when I make things today, it gives me a connection with my past. I’ve realised just how important making things is to my sense of self – it’s how I fit into the world,” he explains.

“None of the projects is very difficult, and I’d feel comfortable teaching my 14-year-old to do everything in this book. It’s true that you might need to invest in a few tools or other pieces of kit but, more than anything, you need to invest in setting some time aside,” Adam adds.

Taking an artisan’s approach and carrying out projects yourself, RHS The Creative Gardener helps you to not only create the garden you have always wanted but also gives you an added satisfaction of creating and making it yourself.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Jane Southcott jane@janesouthcottpr.co.uk 07787 527430

Notes for editors: THE AUTHOR – Adam Frost

Adam Frost is an award-winning garden designer, with seven Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medals to his name. He is a presenter on BBC Gardeners’ World and BBC coverage of the RHS Flower Shows.

He started his gardening career as a 16-year-old gardening apprentice with the North Devon Parks Department. He then moved back to London to train as a landscape gardener, before getting a job with the late, great gardener Geoff Hamilton. During his time with Geoff, he trained as a landscape designer and then established his own garden landscape business in 1996, which has taken him around the world designing gardens.

Adam is also an RHS Ambassador, carrying out a mission close to his heart: to encourage our next generation of gardeners and to raise the profile of careers in horticulture.

ABOUT DK

DK | For the curious

We believe in the power of discovery. That’s why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in.

From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books.

 

Plant lovers can explore The Connoisseur’s Garden – with treats at Exbury Gardens for steam train buffs and young nature fans too

Plant lovers can explore The Connoisseur’s Garden – with treats at Exbury Gardens for steam train buffs and young nature fans too

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  • Redeveloped area The Connoisseur’s Garden open to visitors, and the Hydrangea Walk replanted for maximum flower power
  • New attractions include a children’s log trail and new-look visitor entrance/gift shop and plant centre
  • 21st anniversary of Exbury Gardens Steam Railway

A horticultural treasure trove of rare plants and shrubs will be on show at Exbury Gardens in 2022 in the newly-named, The Connoisseur’s Garden.

A less-visited part of the famous 200-acre woodland garden in the New Forest has been revamped with unusual plants and shrubs to delight throughout the season.

Visitors can wander amongst a collection of stunning camellias, donated by one of the world’s most famous growers, into an expertly planted woodland glade filled with curious garden gems that boast blossom and vibrant colours. Exbury’s team has taken five years to hone and redevelop the area and in 2022 it will bear the new name, The Connoisseur’s Garden.

Kids can enjoy an exciting new log trail situated near the entrance of The Connoisseur’s Garden made from old oak, beech and Scots pine trees. Youngsters will be encouraged to walk from one end of the trail to the other without touching the ground, whilst learning about the different bark textures. And they can have their photo taken when they have reached the end sitting on the oak ‘Throne’.

The gardeners at Exbury have also been hard at work in the Hydrangea Walk which now boasts 12 new varieties, with 150 new plants in total, promising late summer flower power with a host of pastel shades.

Exbury’s renowned steam railway will be celebrating its 21st anniversary during the year, visitors will receive a discount on gardens admission when they bring their canine best friends along to Devoted to Dogs days* and new Nature Tours will be helping everyone connect with Exbury’s varied wildlife. A new-look visitor entrance with revamped gift shop and enlarged plant centre will also be open.

Thomas Clarke, head gardener of Exbury Gardens, said: “The Connoisseur’s Garden is a beautiful spot for visitors to take in the peace and tranquillity of Exbury. It’s a self-contained area full of rare and unusual trees and shrubs, predominantly summer flowering but of interest all year round. They are planted in large beds, underplanted with woodland ground cover and connected by grass paths with seating to soak up the atmosphere in the secluded glade.”

The Connoisseur’s Garden

Exbury Gardens is renowned for its collection of rhododendrons and azaleas but on the edge of Gilbury Lane the emphasis is on a different range of trees and shrubs designed to appeal to the connoisseur.

It contains a number of rare plants chosen to delight visitors throughout the season. As you enter the garden you will find a selection of camellias donated by the famous grower Jennifer Trehane, which flower in a range of beautiful colours in the early months of the year.

Another early performer is Edgeworthia chrysantha – the paperbush – whose pale-yellow flowers stand out proudly from the bare stalks of the parent plant. You should also look for Magnolia ‘Ann’ whose reddish-purple flowers light up the spring.

Elsewhere there is blossom which appears later, in mid-summer, and is to be found on plants such as Rhododendron hemsleyanum, named after a former keeper of Kew’s famous herbarium. There is also a fine specimen of Maackia amurensis which, while celebrated for its spikey panicles of white flowers in late June or early July, is also distinguished by the ghostly silver-blue colours of its new leaves. Later in the summer, the dark evergreen leaves of the magnificent Eucryphia × intermedia are covered by a mass of large white flowers in late summer.

And as the autumn arrives, two crab apple trees stand out. Malus ‘Laura’ bears clusters of fruit the size of golf balls coloured such a deep red as almost to be purple. This is a relatively young tree. In contrast, there is the venerableMalus mandshurica which is a magnificent sight when covered in a profusion of pale red apples. Finally, see if you can spot the bright red berries of the Chinese wonder tree – Idesia polycarpa – which hang in bunches like small grapes and which persist after the tree’s heart-shaped leaves have all dropped.

ENDS

For further information or images, contact PR Emma Mason on 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or Veronica Chrisp on 023 8024 5754 veronica.chrisp@exbury.co.uk

Notes for editors

Exbury Gardens, located in the New Forest near Southampton, is open daily from 19 March 2022 10am – 5.30pm. Arrival time slots must be booked online in advance at www.exbury.co.uk

Thanks to its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, Exbury Gardens is famed for its riot of spring colour, as well as a vast array of beautiful, mature rare trees. Over recent years the Hampshire garden has been expanded for all-season interest with areas designed to show off summer and autumn ‘flower power’, as well as an extension of its 1 ½-mile Rhododendron Line steam railway.

To learn more about Exbury’s COVID-19 safety measures, please visit Safety Measures FAQs page on its website by clicking this link

* Devoted to Dogs days – visitors bringing their dogs to Exbury Gardens for these events receive a 20% discount on gardens admission. Discount applicable to one person per dog. Check the Exbury website for dates.

 

 

Gardening broadcaster and designer Mark Lane shortlisted in National Diversity Awards

Gardening broadcaster and designer Mark Lane shortlisted in National Diversity Awards

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Gardening broadcaster Mark Lane has been shortlisted in the Celebrity of the Year category at this week’s National Diversity Awards 2021, alongside Sir Lewis Hamilton and Marcus Rashford.

Mark, the gardening expert on BBC One Morning Live and a presenter on QVC and BBC Gardeners’ World, became the UK’s first garden designer in a wheelchair, as well as the first gardening broadcaster in a wheelchair on British television.

As well as Mark, 11 other nominees have been shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards (NDA) Celebrity of the Year including Ashley Banjo and Raheem Sterling.

Community organisations and role models from across the UK will head to Liverpool on 4th February to witness the country’s 2021 NDA winners being crowned the best of British diversity. Amongst those being honoured are charities, campaigners and activists, all of whom work tirelessly to combat injustice and discrimination in very different ways.

Mark Lane said: “I cannot believe that from 50,000 entrants that I have been shortlisted for Celebrity of the Year. This has come as a complete surprise. The competition is extremely tough, and while, of course, it will be wonderful to win, I am honoured and over-the-moon for just being considered as a finalist. Being shortlisted also puts the spotlight on disability in a positive way. We have a tremendously talented and diverse mix of people in this country and it’s wonderful that these prestigious awards, covered on ITV News, see and promote diversity in such a positive way.”

Designed to highlight the country’s most inspirational and selfless people, the NDAs continue to gain endorsements from high profile figures such as Sir Lenny Henry CBE and Graham Norton. Activist Katie Piper, Emmerdale star Ash Palmisciano and Paralympic Gold Medallist Danny Creates were on this year’s judging panel, dedicating their time to help choose the highly anticipated shortlist.

Author and philanthropist, Katie Piper said: “I am so proud to be on the judging panel for the National Diversity Awards. In what has been a tough year for many, I am so pleased these awards create and celebrate a new generation of positive role models. As a campaigner myself, I will love reading about the excellent achievements of grass-root communities which tackle the issues in today’s society with sheer dedication. I can’t wait to honour these charities, role models and community heroes who will have shown outstanding commitment to enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion.”

Previous winners include actor Warwick Davis, men’s mental health charity Andy’s Man Club and breast cancer survivor Codilia Gapare.

ENDS

About Mark Lane – Mark is the UK’s first garden/landscape designer to be in a wheelchair. He is a regular presenter on BBC Morning Live and QVC, and also presents on BBC TV Gardeners’ World coverage of the RHS shows. Mark graduated from University College London in Art History with B.A. (Hons). Mark had a meteoric rise in publishing becoming the Publishing Director for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Managing Editor for the leading international Arts publisher Thames & Hudson. In 2001 Mark was in a car accident and had to have operations on his spine, which were complicated by him being born with spina bifida. Following a long rehabilitation period at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Mark studied landscape design through an Open Learning course at KLC, Hampton Court. He passed with distinction and set up Mark Lane Designs Ltd, an award-winning landscape design practice (Landscape Designer of the Year 2020). Mark is also an Ambassador for four charities, Patron and a Trustee for two other charities, with a strong emphasis on social and therapeutic horticulture, gardening and health and wellbeing. A prolific writer, Mark’s book ‘Royal Gardens of the World’ has recently been published by Hachette (UK).

Visit: https://www.marklanedesigns.com or www.marklane.tv or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkLaneTV

 

Eco compost shortlisted for first ever RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award

Eco compost shortlisted for first ever RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award

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RHS Sustainable Garden Product of the Year finalist

A peat-free compost range made from sheep’s wool, bracken – and now comfrey – by Dalefoot Composts in the Lake District has been shortlisted for the first ever RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award.

Dalefoot Wool Compost with Comfrey, launched earlier this year by the Penrith-based firm, is one of ten shortlisted products to be recognised for their green credentials in this prestigious RHS competition*.

Family-owned Dalefoot Composts spent five years perfecting the addition of comfrey, a plant superfood, into its popular peat-free Wool Compost range. Known as the organic gardener’s best friend, comfrey has high levels of potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers and bigger crops.

Comfrey is now grown sustainably at Dalefoot farm near Heltondale as a commercial crop allowing the company to scale up peat-free compost production to supply many more garden centres and nurseries across the UK, plus online for home delivery. Blending comfrey into the composts complements the company’s on-farm approach to no-till soil management, adds structure and additional flowers and biodiversity to the landscape benefitting insects and pollinators, and, importantly from a horticultural perspective, provides increased nutrient content in the final compost product.

Professor Jane Barker of Dalefoot Composts said: “As firm believers in true sustainability – social, economic and environmental – our team is over the moon to get this recognition and be shortlisted. We take real care to employ environmental best practice at Dalefoot, from the sourcing and harvesting of ingredients, to packaging and delivery. Our premium products also provide gardeners with a sustainable alternative to using environmentally damaging peat in their outdoor spaces.”

With a hat-trick of performance-packed natural ingredients – comfrey, bracken and sheep’s wool – the Wool Compost range feeds plants for at least a season, requires less watering, as wool cleverly retains moisture, and is Soil Association-approved for organic gardening. Wool Compost is available in Potting, Seeds, Vegetables & Salads, Tomatoes, Double Strength and Ericaceous**.

The company sources bracken from Exmoor, Northumberland and Wales, as well as locally in Cumbria – helping a diversity of farming communities and local landscapes. Bracken is an invasive plant but when harvested sustainably and composted, provides rich potash for plants and acts as a fantastic soil conditioner. Sheep farmers are benefitting too as supplying undipped wool for the compost means they have a market for a product they struggle to sell. Dalefoot is a significant local employer and is Living Wage-accredited, and it also restores damaged peat bogs for organisations such as Natural England and the wildlife trusts.

Over the past 12 months, compost production has doubled at Dalefoot, with more than 175 garden centres and nurseries now stocking its products.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Comfrey is renowned in the gardening world for being a plant superfood. It has very long roots so is able to absorb nutrients deep in the soil as it grows, and when harvested and then added to compost or a traditional comfrey tea, the nutrients give a growing ‘kick’ to other plants, encouraging strong, healthy growth. The introduction of comfrey to the compost mix marks the culmination of a five-year project by the Dalefoot team to grow the plant on a commercial scale, sustainably on the farm, and harness its extraordinary qualities. The fast-growing comfrey crop can be harvested four times a year, so there is plenty on tap to meet rising demand for the company’s premium composts in the future.

 

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Professor Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and the business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £11.99 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists. Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

 

Peat bogs – The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the UK for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and wildlife trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than just storing it. To date, this work equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago.

 

* About RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year – The RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year was launched in 2011 to recognise the best new garden products at the show. In line with the ever increasing importance to ensure products offer sustainable solutions, the 2021 competition will award the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year for the first time. Other shortlisted products include New Vegebag by Vegepod UK, Composting Loo by Green Oak and Ocean Plastic Pots, made from discarded rope and fishing net. An expert judging panel will consider environmental sustainability as well as innovation, visual appeal, functionality and quality and the winner will be announced during Virtual Chelsea (17 – 21 May). A trophy presentation will take place on Press Day at RHS Chelsea Flower Show now being held in September.

 

** Wool Compost Ericaceous, Lakeland Gold and Bulb Compost do not contain comfrey

Rock garden rarities and dazzling dahlias to entice at Newby Hall in 2021

Rock garden rarities and dazzling dahlias to entice at Newby Hall in 2021

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  • Newby Hall & Gardens reopens to the public on 1 April 2021 with Covid safety measures1 in place
  • First phase of historic rock garden restoration now complete
  • Dahlia bed revamp with 21st century colour twist
  • Famous double herbaceous border in full bloom after lockdown
  • Harrogate Autumn Flower Show to be held at Newby Hall 17-19 September

When visitors return to one of the north’s most famous gardens in April, they will get the first rare-plant-filled glimpse of the major restoration of a historic Edwardian rock garden – thought to be one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Newby Hall’s expansive rock garden2, boasting a waterfall, hidden nooks and even a miniature aquaduct, is undergoing a five-year refurbishment and the initial phase is now complete. Scores of new rare and unusual plants, many of which will be in full spring bloom when Newby Hall opens for the season, have replaced overgrown foliage in the iconic garden, and large architectural rocks unearthed.

Dating back to pre-WW1 and measuring over an acre, it was originally designed with the help of visionary Edwardian plantswoman Ellen Willmott. But a century later, many of its shrubs, plants and trees had outgrown the space, and specialist work by the garden team is restoring it to its former glory.

Also getting a 21st century revamp are the dazzling dahlia beds at Newby Hall with dozens of new varieties getting their first showing this year in an eye-popping, contemporary colour palette. Delicate fritillaries, oxslips and tulips have been planted under apple and quince trees in the Orchard Garden to give a full-on, late spring display, and Newby Hall’s famous 172 metre-long double herbaceous border is on track to give a real flower-powered punch all season long.

For the first time, the popular three-day Harrogate Autumn Flower Show will be held in the grounds of Newby Hall (17-19 September) and show goers will get free access to the gardens as part of their admission ticket. The event is famed for its giant vegetable competition, the Northern Championships for the National Vegetable Society and one of the best autumn bloom displays in the UK, so both flower lovers and grow-your-own aficionados alike will get their horticultural fix. The season at Newby Hall culminates with Apple Day and the Apple Throwing Championships on 3 October.

Other garden gems at Newby Hall include a national Cornus collection, a stunning autumn garden packed with late-flowering salvias, magnificent magnolias in the Tropical Garden and a traditional sweet-smelling rose garden.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Louise Scott on louise.s@newbyhall.com  01423 320412

newbyhall.com Twitter – @newbyhall @newbyhallgarden Facebook – newbyhallandgardens Instagram – newbyhallandgardens

NOTES TO EDITORS

  • Newby Hall is a William and Mary house located between Ripon and Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, built in the 1690s until the guidance of Christopher Wren. John Carr remodelled the house in the 18th century, with interiors by Robert Adam and furniture by Chippendale. Owner Richard Compton is the 10th generation of his family to live at Newby.
  • The House and Gardens are open to the public from April to September, attracting around 140,000 visitors each season. The venue boasts a restaurant, miniature railway, gift shop and plant centre, day visitor events and weddings.
  • The gardening team has a head gardener, 6 full time gardeners and a handful of volunteers.  They care for the 25 acres of formal gardens, boasting 15 stunning ‘garden rooms’, and a further 15 acres of woodland and orchard, plus a national collection of Cornus.
  • Newby Hall is just a few miles from the A1(M), the main London to Edinburgh motorway. Close by are the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors National Parks and the historic cities of York and Ripon.

1: Covid safety measures – Visitors advised to check website for opening details as Government guidelines will need to be followed. Online ticket booking only to manage the number of visitors each day, with a limit on numbers arriving in three different arrival periods.  Safety information is given to visitors at the start of their visit to ensure social distancing and staff at the visitor entrance are protected by plastic screens, as are the team at the onsite café providing take-away refreshments.  Additional toilets have been opened in the gardens and a rigorous hygiene regime implemented for all outdoor areas.

2: Rock garden – Working closely with specialists Kevock Garden Plants & Design, Newby Hall’s head gardener Phil Cormie and owners Richard and Lucinda Compton, aim to transform the space to ensure it is conserved for generations of visitors to come. Unusual plants already in place include:

  • Rhododendron primuliflorum‘Doker-La’ – an unusual dwarf rhododendron with pink, daphne-like flowers.
  • Meconopsis x cookei‘Old Rose’ – beautiful poppy with erect stems of pendulous, dusky pink flowers in spring
  • Iris kerneriana –a  lovely narrow, tidy leaved iris with delicate 40 cm long stems bearing sulphur- yellow and cream flowers.
  • Antirrhinum molle– most people think of snapdragons as being annuals but this one is small shrub with velvety grey leaves and large white or pink flowers.
  • Saxifraga ‘Nicholas’ -absolutely outstanding silver saxifrage with huge, tumbling sprays of white flowers.
  • Sorbus reducta– a dwarf rowan only growing up to 1.5 metres tall with berries that start red and turn pink as the autumn season progresses.
  • Pseudocodon convolvulaceus subsp. Forrestii –an unusual climber which gently twines through shrubs and small trees. Beautiful bell-shaped, pale blue flowers mark these plants out as a Campanula relative.
  • Gentiana acaulis – a spectacular rock garden plant, the Stemless Gentian throws out deep blue, trumpet shaped flowers with a spotted green throat.
  • Rhododendron campylogynum Myrtilloides Group – a charming dwarf species of rhododendron with beautiful thimble-shaped, nodding, plum-purple flowers.
  • Meconopsis ‘Huntfield’ – a beautiful variety of the Blue Poppy with a hint of purple shading the blue flowers.

The second phase of the heritage garden project is now underway with plans for an alpine lawn, New Zealand corner and revamped cascade.

 

 

Dalefoot Composts adds comfrey into its peat-free range to give plants a nutrient super boost

Dalefoot Composts adds comfrey into its peat-free range to give plants a nutrient super boost

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  • Comfrey – the organic gardener’s best friend – a ‘dynamic accumulator’ packed with nutrients is added into the Wool Compost range
  • ‘Bocking 14’ variety has high levels of potassium, phosphorous & nitrogen for healthy plant growth, larger flowers & bigger crops
  • Comfrey now being grown sustainably at Dalefoot farm as company scales up peat-free compost production to supply many more garden centres and nurseries across the UK, plus online for home delivery
  • Bracken for Dalefoot’s products sourced from Exmoor, Northumberland & Wales, helping farming communities & local biodiversity further afiel

Dalefoot Composts, the Lake District peat-free compost maker, has added comfrey into its peat-free Wool Compost range giving an extra super charge of nutrients and trace elements for blooming, healthy plants.

Now with a hat-trick of performance-packed natural ingredients – comfrey, bracken and sheep’s wool – the Wool Compost range feeds plants for at least a season, requires less watering, as wool cleverly retains moisture, and is Soil Association-approved for organic gardening. Wool Compost is available in Potting, Seeds, Vegetables & Salads, Tomatoes, Double Strength and Ericaceous1.

Comfrey is renowned in the gardening world for being a plant superfood. It has very long roots so is able to absorb nutrients deep in the soil as it grows, and when harvested and then added to compost or a traditional comfrey tea, the nutrients give a growing ‘kick’ to other plants, encouraging strong, healthy growth.

The introduction of comfrey to the compost mix marks the culmination of a five-year project by the Dalefoot team to grow the plant on a commercial scale, sustainably on the farm, and harness its extraordinary qualities. The fast-growing comfrey crop can be harvested four times a year, so there is plenty on tap to meet rising demand for the company’s premium composts in the future.

The company is also now sourcing bracken from Exmoor, Northumberland and Wales, as well as locally in Cumbria – helping a diversity of farming communities and local landscapes. Bracken is an invasive plant but when harvested sustainably and composted, provides rich potash for plants and acts as a fantastic soil conditioner. Sheep farmers are benefitting too as supplying wool for the compost means they have a market for a product they struggle to sell.

Dalefoot’s peat-free products are unique as they use a fully-traceable, sustainable blend of wool, bracken and now comfrey to make composts for every gardening need. Wool releases a steady stream of nitrogen and other must-have nutrients which, when combined with bracken and comfrey, means no further feed is required over the growing season.

Professor Jane Barker of Dalefoot Composts said: “Comfrey is a truly remarkable plant offering a multitude of uses and we’re excited to grow it right here on the farm for our compost. We’ll be looking at how we can use it in other products for the gardener in the future.

“Our farm’s bees, insects and wildlife are also benefitting from the biodiversity boost the new comfrey fields and their nectar-rich flowers bring to the local environment.”

Over the past 12 months, compost production has doubled at Dalefoot, with 177 garden centres and nurseries now stocking its products.

The Dalefoot team also restores peat bogs, some of which were once owned by peat compost companies, across the UK for the likes of Natural England, NatureScot, South West Water and wildlife trusts. Peat bogs store more carbon than forests and many in the UK are now in poor condition, releasing carbon rather than just storing it. To date, this work equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions – equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

1 – Wool Compost Ericaceous, Lakeland Gold and Bulb Compost do not contain comfrey

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Professor Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from farmers.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £11.99 per bag down to £8.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

spring picks

HOT SPRING PICKS – The clothing most loved by Genus Gardenwear fans and new spring ranges launching soon

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With high performance, technical wear that looks as good as it performs, clothing from Genus Gardenwear has been a hit with serious gardeners since 2013.

Its trousers and tops for all weathers, boasting UK-first designs, have proved popular with green-fingered Brits. The Cotswolds-based firm’s gear has clever horti’ twists such as stab-proof pockets for secateurs, padded knees, raised waists for back protection and easy-care fabrics, and many lines are endorsed by the RHS.

Later this spring, Genus will be launching new ranges of summer trousers and shorts for both men and women, to keep gardeners cool, comfortable but still protected as the weather warms up.

2021 BEST SELLERS INCLUDE:

TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT

Men’s Dixter Gardening Pullover £95 – Specially designed for gardening, this pullover for men is perfect when you need that little extra degree of warmth.  Cosy but lightweight, its relaxed fit and longer length allows you to wear it on its own, or to layer up, and still move freely.

Women’s Waterproof Gardening Trousers £150 – also available for men. The first-ever totally waterproof trousers specially designed for gardening and with a generous cut specially for women.  Based on the hugely successful Genus 3-Season Gardening Trousers, their 2-in-1 function does away with the need for over-trousers.  Using the same showerproof fabric on the outside, these pants have a full-length waterproof lining so you stay totally dry, yet supremely comfortable.

Men’s Rosemoor Gardening Henley £35 – also available for women. The perfect top for gardening in warmer weather, this lightweight Henley tee is made from a silky soft, high performance fabric to keep you cool and dry when the going gets hot.

BOTTOM ROW LEFT TO RIGHT

Women’s Everyday Gardening Trousers £95 – A more affordable version of the Genus best-selling gardening pants, Everyday Gardening Trouser for Women is a great all-rounder, offering all the essential features, superb quality and a level of performance a hard working gardener needs.

  • Adjustable, breathable and damp-proof padded knee
  • Stab-resistant pocket for secateurs
  • Raised waist band for back protection
  • Showerproof, easy-care, quick-drying stretch fabric

Women’s Eden Gardening Jersey £55 – Designed as the perfect partner to the 3-Season Gardening Trousers, this high-performance jersey (also available for men) is cut from a technically advanced fabric made out of recycled plastic bottles and coffee fibres, and the extra-long body and thumb loop give protection when gardening.

  • Thumb loop for wrist protection
  • Long body length
  • Half zip
  • Flat-lock seams for comfort

Men’s 3-Season Gardening Trousers £125 – Extraordinary trousers designed for gardeners by gardeners and cut specially for men (women’s available too). Packed with unique gardening functionality and clever horti’ features, these gardening pants provide unparalleled performance, style and comfort for a hard day in the garden. Now also available in iron grey – for menand women.

  • Adjustable, breathable and damp-proof padded knee
  • Stab-resistant pockets for secateurs and knives
  • Raised waist band for back protection
  • Showerproof, easy care, quick-drying, stretch fabric

All available to purchase from www.genus.gs.

ENDS

For further information and high res images contact:

Emma Mason / emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Sarah Cole / sarahcole@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07958 397637

Exbury Gardens spring 2021

Discover new woodland wonders, family nature trails and dazzling spring colour at Hampshire’s Exbury Gardens in 2021

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  • NEW River Walk – learn about native trees on a woodland trail towards the Beaulieu River estuary
  • NEW Dragonfly Pond learning zone & Dragonfly Halt steam railway stop [2020 launch postponed by lockdown]
  • Spring bulb extravaganza in Daffodil Meadow and the River of Gold, plus world-famous display of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons
  • Rock garden revamp and oak tree planting programme

Embrace nature and discover the magnificence of Britain’s native trees on a new woodland trail when it opens at Exbury Gardens, one of the south’s most famous gardens, this spring.

The new River Walk will allow visitors to explore previously-hidden woodland within the 200-acre New Forest garden, with glimpses of the Beaulieu River estuary. Interpretation boards will explain how to spot some of our iconic native trees. Stretching nearly half a mile past mature oaks, field maples, yews and hazels, the trail will meander from Daffodil Meadow, which is planted with thousands of the yellow spring favourites, to the stunning flower-filled Azalea Bowl.

Garden fans can also get their spring floral fix from the River of Gold, a 100,000-bulb colour burst that weaves around rare trees near Exbury House, and from acres of world-renowned Exbury camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Also new for the 2021 season will be the opportunity to:

  • spot wildlife action at a new Dragonfly Pond1 learning zone. Designed with the help of the UK’s leading dragonfly experts, this area will boast info boards filled with dragonfly facts and take-away tips on how you can encourage these wonderful creatures into your own back garden. An existing, large ornamental pond in the gardens has been adapted for the insects with dragonfly-friendly, native aquatic and marginal plants. Also alight from Exbury’s renowned Rhododendron Line steam railway at a new Dragonfly Halt platform to explore the pond area.
  • check out the rare and interesting plants being given new homes in the revamped Rock Garden. First built around 100 years ago, the Rock Garden is considered to be one of the largest in Europe.
  • discover 30 new native oak trees planted across the garden as part of a three-year project to help restore the magnificent tree canopy.

Tom Clarke, head gardener at Exbury Gardens, said: “In 2021 we are looking forward to celebrating the beautiful, unique, natural setting of Exbury by extending access into more woodland that visitors won’t have seen before and opening up nature areas such as our new Dragonfly Pond.

“We are also investing in the garden’s legacy for future generations by planting lots of new trees to enhance biodiversity and regenerate the treeline, and adding even more rare plants and shrubs to the Rock Garden.”

Created by Lionel de Rothschild in 1919, a passionate collector of plants and a keen supporter and sponsor of the early 20th century plant hunters, Exbury Gardens has grown to become a stunning garden paradise filled with rare plants, shrubs and trees. It boasts over 20 miles of pathways and trails.

Exbury Gardens was one of the first garden attractions in the south to reopen to the public after lockdown ended and saw a boost in admission numbers over summer and autumn 2020 from visitors keen to explore the natural world in safety. It is a proud holder of Visit Britain’s ‘We’re Good To Go’ certification, showing it adheres to current Government and public health guidance.

ENDS

For further information or images, contact PR Emma Mason on 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or Celise Galloway on 023 8024 5754 celise.galloway@exbury.co.uk

Notes for editors

1 – Dragonfly Pond project launch had been planned for summer 2020 but has been rescheduled for summer 2021

Exbury Gardens, located in the New Forest near Southampton, is open daily from 1 March 2021 10am – 5.30pm. Arrival time slots must be booked online in advance at www.exbury.co.uk

Thanks to its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, Exbury Gardens is famed for its riot of spring colour, as well as a vast array of beautiful, mature rare trees. Over recent years the Hampshire garden has been expanded for all-season interest with areas designed to show off summer and autumn ‘flower power’, as well as an extension of its 1 ½-mile Rhododendron Line steam railway.

To learn more about Exbury’s COVID-19 safety measures, please visit Safety Measures FAQs page on its website by clicking this link

 

Charles Dowding

Charles Dowding’s new online course on how to grow the A-Z of ‘no dig’ veg

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Want to know the optimum time to sow runner beans, transplant cabbage and harvest your courgettes? Or when to water celery, how to banish carrot fly and why not digging your garden is more productive? Learning how to sow, grow, harvest and store the tastiest crops is made easy, one vegetable at a time, thanks to a new online course from no dig gardening pioneer Charles Dowding.

A world authority on no dig vegetable gardening, and a break-out grow-your-own social media star – his latest video on compost racked up 100,000 views in just five days – Somerset-based Charles spills the beans on his growing methods in his latest online course.

From the comfort of your own home, you can watch Charles explain in eleven exclusive videos the specific needs and qualities of 15 vegetables – from aubergine to cucumber – and how to ensure successful and tasty harvests, all using his tried and tested no dig gardening methods. His detailed tips are explained in easy-to-follow ‘lessons’, packed with 60,000 words and 880 illustrative photos, so even the most novice of gardeners can get growing.

This new course, called Online Course 3A Seed to Harvest, is the first in a two-parter that will eventually cover over 40 vegetables in total. Both courses have been designed to complement his existing best-selling courses on no dig gardening basics (Course 1) and growing success (Course 2). Thousands of gardeners across the world, from Australia to Chile, have downloaded Charles’s courses since they were launched in March 2019.

No dig vegetable gardening involves simply mulching soil with compost, rather than laboriously digging it. Charles’s no-frills methods resonate with beginner and experienced gardeners alike, with millions of views of his YouTube videos. He has over 700,000 followers on social media.

More details:

Online Course 3A – Seed to harvest, the first 18 vegetables from aubergine to cucumber – Charles Dowding’s best tips on each vegetable’s types and varieties, sowing methods, how to transplant, watering, ways of picking to maximise output and quality, storage, pest protection, clearing and what to plant next.

Each lesson concentrates on one vegetable, which he explains within the same outline structure. The aim is for you to understand each vegetable’s special needs and qualities, so that successful harvests are likely. There is only occasional reference to bed preparation and weeding. With the no dig gardening method, these are minimal jobs, and are the same for all vegetables. Lessons finish with a multiple-choice quiz to consolidate learning.

60000+ words, 880+ photos with explanatory captions, and 11 videos which are unique to this course, not available elsewhere.

Vegetables included – Aubergine; Beans – Broad; Beans – French, Runner, Soy; Beetroot;  Broccoli; Brussels; Cabbage; Carrot;  Cauliflower & Kohlrabi; Celery and Celeriac;  Chard & Leaf Beet; Chicory/Radicchio; Chinese Cabbage & Pak Choi;  Courgette/Zucchini; Cucumber, cordon and ridge

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433.

Charles Dowding has made no dig popular and is a world authority on the subject. His productive and weed-free garden illustrates the benefits simply of mulching soil to feed its microorganisms. They “turn on the tap” of making food and moisture available to our plants, as well as improving soil structure.

  • Drainage and aeration improve, in an easy and long-lasting way
  • The method is simple and requires less work
  • The result is fewer weeds and healthier, more resilient plants
  • Carbon is retained in the soil

Since 1982 he has created and cropped four no dig market gardens on different soils, from stone to silt to clay. In the 1980s he cropped 7.5 acres (3ha) of no dig beds. In the 1990s he farmed in France.

Currently he grows vegetables on 0.25 acres/1000 square metres in Somerset, SW England zone 8. He sells £20,000 of harvests locally, mainly salad leaves, and vegetables are served on courses at Homeacres.

There are two crops a year from beds which are cheap to establish and quick to maintain. Charles’ methods are easy to understand and work on small areas as well as large ones. No dig scales up and down easily.

He has written ten books and an annual calendar of sowing dates, runs a You Tube channel with 36.8 million views, writes for national gardening magazines, and gives talks and courses at home and abroad. He has created online courses in no dig gardening and on vegetable growing.

More information can be found at charlesdowding.co.uk

 

 

New ITV ident created by Mark Lane and Sharon Walters

Designer and broadcaster Mark Lane helps create first ITV logo ident of 2021

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  • Nature-themed collaboration with London-based collage artist Sharon Walters
  • Work aims to amplify ‘forgotten voices’ of black women and disabled people
  • First horticulturalist to create prestigious ident
  • Filmed at Fullers Mill garden in Suffolk owned by horticultural charity Perennial
Mark Lane and Sharon Walters

Mark Lane and Sharon Walters

Millions of ITV viewers are getting a flower-powered telly treat during January with an important underlying message, thanks to a unique collaboration between broadcaster and garden/landscape designer Mark Lane, and collage artist Sharon Walters.

In an ITV-first, two creatives from different industries have been chosen to craft the logo ident shown between programmes on the channel.

Mark and Sharon teamed up late last year to create the collaborative biophilia-based ident which combines hand-crafted paper cut collage and landscape design. Inspired by the beneficial power of nature, plants in Mark’s Kent garden and Sharon’s love of plants and flowers, the pair reinvented the ITV logo using an intricate layered collage. Their creation was then enlarged (4m x 8m) and temporarily installed for filming in a silver birch woodland at Fullers Mill garden near Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk, owned by horticulture welfare charity Perennial.

The ident, which will be broadcast throughout January on ITV, aims to encourage viewers to pause, reflect and exhale whilst enjoying the simplistic, natural beauty of the work.  Entitled ‘Layered Exhaled Expressions’, the project also raises the issues of accessibility, identity and ethnic diversity, and the effects of climate change.

Mark, who is the UK’s first garden designer to be in a wheelchair, said: “Sharon and I are from communities often described as marginalised and through this collaboration we highlight ability in disability and the identity and power in blackness, and the diversity in both.

“Last year was awful for so many, and with our already complex modern lives submerged into unimaginable challenges, we wanted to create a collaborative work that would encourage people to slow down, relax and breathe.

“The concept was that paper would return to the woodland, illustrating renewal, sustainability and biodiversity, and displaying the journey from root, to tree, to final use. I also knew of the perfect spot for the ident installation, a stunning woodland at Fullers Mill. The natural world, flora and fauna, have an incredible ability to improve our mental and physical well-being and we hope our collaborative creation brings just a little of this biophilic power into people’s living rooms.”

Sharon said: “By first creating a hand-cut ITV logo stencil, I initially used a layering of images approach by cutting and gluing new sections until the design felt complete. This method proved difficult to transfer to the scale Mark and I envisaged, so I returned to the ITV template, this time creating a collage using real flowers and foliage. I had used this creative process previously in pieces for my ‘Seeing Ourselves’ series and it worked perfectly for the new ITV project.

“To recreate the design to a larger scale I photographed the work so it was ready for Mark to transfer to his landscape design CAD programme where large-scale pieces were planned and designed. This was a truly collaborative approach at every stage, and Mark and I have become great friends throughout this process.”

ENDS

About Mark Lane – Mark is the UK’s first garden/landscape designer to be in a wheelchair. He is a regular presenter on BBC Morning Live, QVC and BBC TV Gardeners’ World and also fronts BBC TV coverage of the RHS shows. Mark graduated from University College London in Art History with B.A. (Hons). Mark had a meteoric rise in publishing becoming the Publishing Director for the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Managing Editor for the leading international Arts publisher Thames & Hudson. In 2001 Mark was in a car accident and had to have operations on his spine, which were complicated by him being born with spina bifida. Following a long rehabilitation period at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Mark studied landscape design through an Open Learning course at KLC, Hampton Court. He passed with distinction and set up Mark Lane Designs Ltd, an award-winning landscape design practice (Landscape Designer of the Year 2020). Mark is also an Ambassador for 4 charities, Patron and a Trustee for 2 other charities, with a strong emphasis on social and therapeutic horticulture, gardening and health and wellbeing. A prolific writer, Mark’s new book ‘Royal Gardens of the World’ has just been published by Hachette (UK).

Visit: https://www.marklanedesigns.com or www.marklane.tv or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkLaneTV

About Sharon Walters – Sharon  is an artist, freelance educator, and museum professional. She graduated from Central St Martins in 2011 with a BA in Fine Art, holds a Post Graduate Teaching and Learning Certificate in post-16 citizenship education from the Institute of Education, and a BA in Social Science from University West London. Since January 2018 Sharon has been working on a mixed media collage series entitled ‘Seeing Ourselves’, now with over 250 pieces in the collection she has exhibited in a number of public spaces including the Mall Galleries, NOW gallery in Greenwich and the New Ashgate Gallery in Surrey. In December 2019 Sharon won the Reach Art prize for excellence in the arts, diversity, and social inclusion. ‘Seeing Ourselves’ explores identity, beauty standards, representation, and natural Afro hair. Her limited- edition prints and bespoke collages have been acquired by collectors globally, and she has delivered collage workshops for clients including the National Trust. Sharon makes hand-assembled collages almost daily to be present, reflective, and mindful. Each collage gives her permission to ‘take up space’ even in places where she so often does not see herself represented. By exploring diverse narratives through partnerships and providing platforms for under-represented voices to be heard, Sharon has had several collaborations with artists, organisations and groups which have developed both her art practice and community outreach work. The fluidity between the two has developed over the years through working with people in various settings. The ‘Seeing Ourselves’ series continues with a number of new and innovative collaborations in the forthcoming months.

 

Luxury British-grown orchid Christmas gifts delivered direct to loved ones or home

Luxury British-grown orchid Christmas gifts delivered direct to loved ones or home

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Treat someone special, or yourself, this Christmas with a gorgeous, British-grown orchid gift delivered direct to home. The country’s largest orchid grower, Love Orchids, has launched a luxurious Limited Edition Christmas range with affordable prices and free delivery.

Boasting plants grown in a family-owned, New Forest nursery, the stunning orchid gifts are ideal for sending to loved ones to remind them you are thinking of them – even if you can’t be with them in person this Christmas. Or why not treat yourself, with an orchid for your own home, to add some fabulous, festive flower-power to your living space.

The Love Orchids’ plant geeks have designed the selection of gorgeous gift arrangements with on-trend accessories, containers, pots and vases. All products are expertly hand-finished, and to make life easy, you can even select your nominated delivery day free of charge. To order, visit www.loveorchids.co.uk – orchid prices from £20 including free delivery.

Glam Orchid Planter with LEDs by Love Orchids

Products include:

Orchid planter with LED lights £30 + free delivery – two Phalaenopsis orchids (30-50cm tall) in a Zinc planter with LED string lights. Batteries included.

Mini woodland-style orchid £28 + free delivery –  Phalaenopsis orchid (30-50cm tall) in a glass vase with decorative pine cones, birch twig, bark and moss.

Statement orchid £25 + free delivery – Phalaenopsis orchid (55-75cm tall) in either a luxury metallic or cream glazed ceramic planter with decorative birch twigs.

Glam Orchid with LED lights £28 + free delivery – Phalaenopsis orchid (55-75cm tall) in a metallic ceramic pot with LED string lights. Batteries included.

The Love Orchids standard range, available throughout the year, includes four mini orchids (£20 + free delivery), four large orchids, single stem (from £28 + free delivery) and a mini cascade orchid in a pink or white ceramic pot (£22 + free delivery).

ENDS

For further information, high res images and samples contact: Emma Mason /emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk

Love Orchids is run by family-owned Double H Nurseries. Established in 1961, it supplies over 4.5 million indoor plants to UK retailers including orchids, roses, poinsettias and chrysanthemums. It is the largest British grower of orchids. More information can be found on the Love Orchids website.

Orchid care tips: Phalaenopsis orchids – pronounced Fal-en-op-sis and commonly known as moth orchids – are the UK’s most popular indoor plant with millions sold every year. Here are Love Orchid’s top tips on keeping your plant blooming for weeks on end:

  • Water weekly & feed fortnightly (or so) – run your orchid under a tap or let it soak in the sink for a few minutes. Wall-watered roots have plump green roots, if they look silvery grey or shrivelled, pop the plant under the tap. Orchids don’t require feeding but use an orchid liquid fertiliser feed every 2-4 weeks and they will really thrive. Quick hack – add a few ice cubes to the surface of the bark instead of watering, avoiding the leaves.
  • Don’t let it shine – orchids love a bright window but they are not keen on direct sunlight. East or west-facing windows and bathrooms are best. They also don’t like sitting near fruit bowls as some fruit emits ethylene when ripening!
  • Keep ‘em flowering – after the flowers have dropped, move to a cooler location and whilst watering give the leaves a clean to improve growth. Only cut back the stem if it turns brown. It can take between 8-12 weeks for an orchid to re-flower.
  • Rooting them out – if you don’t like their look, you can cut off dry, shrivelled roots sticking out from the bark. If they are green and healthy, leave them alone – orchids are meant to have aerial roots.
  • Rarely re-pot – orchids only need re-potting every 4-5 years, or if the bark has begun to compost down, whichever comes first. Make sure you use specialist orchid bark and don’t worry about gaps as orchid roots love air just as much as they love water! Expect it to take a week or two for the plant to become stable and regain its foot hold.
  • Loving our homes – Orchids originate from warm tropical Asia, so our homes are perfect environments for them as they really thrive at temperatures between 17 and 26 degrees. If you water sparingly every week, keep them in a bright location away from direct heat, they should keep blooming for years.

 

Christmas gifts from Genus Gardenwear

Perfect gifts for gardening lovers from Genus

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Spare green-fingered friends and family yet another novelty garden gnome or slogan mug and up the stakes this Christmas with something to put a genuine smile on their face. Created by gardeners for gardeners, Cotswolds-based Genus Gardenwear has been making quality clothing and accessories since 2013 and this year’s gift collection is no exception. With prices starting at just £20 and a shedload of ideas, from interesting gadgets, must-have tools, clever clothing to seeds in a box, there’s something to suit all tastes and budgets, plus gift cards from £10 if you can’t decide and everything can be bought online – https://www.genus.gs

Christmas gifts from Genus Gardenwear

PRODUCT & PRICING INFORMATION

TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: WOMEN’S EDEN GARDENING JERSEY (£55); MERINO WRIST WARMERS (£30); SEEDS IN A BOX illustrated by Cotswold artist Tracey Elphick (£25, six packs)

SECOND ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: JAPANESE SECATEURS (£80); GENUS GIFT CARD (from £10); MERINO NECK WARMER (£30); WOMEN’S DIXTER GARDENING GILET (£85)

THIRD ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: WOMEN’S ROSEMOOR GARDENING HENLEY (£35, also available in MEN’S); GREETINGS CARDS designed by Cotswold artist Tracey Elphick (£20, set of six); MEN’S EDEN GARDENING JERSEY (£55); JAPANESE SECATEURS (£80) – in box image

FOURTH ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: MERINO SLOUCH GARDENING HAT (£25); SILK GLOVE LINERS (£20); HORI HORI TOOL (£45); MEN’S DIXTER GARDENING PULLOVER (£95)

 

 

Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening – From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly

Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening – From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly

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No Dig Gardening – From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly

Published end August 2020 – £22.50 – Hardback – 240 pages

Available to order via www.charlesdowding.co.uk Nationwide distribution

Organic pioneer Charles Dowding reveals how to create a successful ‘no dig’ garden, as well as the history of this time-saving and highly productive method of gardening, in his new book ‘Charles Dowding’s No Dig Gardening – From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly’.

Charles is a world authority on no dig vegetable gardening which involves simply mulching soil with compost, rather than laboriously digging it. With millions of views of his YouTube videos over lockdown alone, Charles’s no-frills methods resonate with novice and experienced gardeners alike.

In this highly detailed resource, which is based on the written content of his successful online course, Charles explains the concept of no dig vegetable gardening, the art of making good compost for your garden and the differences between soil and compost. He explores the history of no dig over the last 100 years, how it often challenges the gardening ‘norm’ and why only in recent years the method has become popular and valued.

Although the book is not a manual of vegetable growing, it has two chapters with detailed planting plans for small spaces based on what Charles has grown and how no dig helped to achieve these outcomes. He uses the results of growing trials at his Homeacres market garden in Somerset to show how no dig works, and questions the need, or not, to grow vegetables in a different place each year.

There is a chapter on site evaluation and planning your layout, and a section on clearing weeds by mulching, with all the associated details. Readers will also learn how to:

  • Use no dig on different soil types
  • Ask questions and recognise gardening myths, to save time and unnecessary effort
  • Create and look after beds and paths, with a whole section on paths and their value
  • Recognise and reduce different types of weeds
  • Understand and use different types of mulch or soil cover
  • Know the differences between soil, compost and various types of compost
  • Make their own compost
  • Grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method. There are growing plans for one bed and for a small garden, with photos and tables to illustrate the results.

The book has 19 chapters, 85,000 words and 900 photographs. Each ‘lesson’ is comprehensively illustrated with sequences of before, during and after photographs from Homeacres. Lessons finish with a multiple-choice quiz to consolidate learning. This is the ideal book for anyone wishing to learn and garden with the no dig method.

Charles Dowding’s Vegetable Garden 2021 Calendar

Monthly calendar A4 opening to A3 – £10 inc VAT 

Available nationwide in stores and via www.charlesdowding.co.uk

Illustrated calendar with photos from Charles’s garden and handy vegetable growing tips. Charles gives a vegetable growing summary for every month, plus his favourite sowing dates for each vegetable at their best times of year, based on decades of fine tuning. Use these dates to help you enjoy a regular supply of fresh produce through all four seasons.

Enjoy the seasonal beauty of his famous vegetable garden, as seen on You Tube and BBC TV Gardeners’ World, in magazines and newspapers. 32 pages printed on 200gsm Premium Gloss Paper, with 350gsm cover. Hole-punched, for hanging on a wall.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433.

Charles Dowding has made no dig popular and is a world authority on the subject. His productive and weed-free garden illustrates the benefits simply of mulching soil to feed its microorganisms. They “turn on the tap” of making food and moisture available to our plants, as well as improving soil structure.

  • Drainage and aeration improve, in an easy and long-lasting way
  • The method is simple and requires less work
  • The result is fewer weeds and healthier, more resilient plants
  • Carbon is retained in the soil

Since 1982 he has created and cropped four no dig market gardens on different soils, from stone to silt to clay. In the 1980s he cropped 7.5 acres (3ha) of no dig beds. In the 1990s he farmed in France.

Currently he grows vegetables on 0.25 acres/1000 square metres in Somerset, SW England zone 8. He sells £20,000 of harvests locally, mainly salad leaves, and vegetables are served on courses at Homeacres.

There are two crops a year from beds which are cheap to establish and quick to maintain. Charles’s methods are easy to understand and work on small areas as well as large ones. No dig scales up and down easily.

He has written nine books and an annual calendar of sowing dates, runs a You Tube channel with 21 million views, writes for national gardening magazines, and gives talks and courses at home and abroad. He has created online courses in no dig gardening and on vegetable growing.

More information can be found at charlesdowding.co.uk

Twitter @charlesdowding 

Instagram charles_dowding

You Tube Charles Dowding

Facebook Charles Dowding No Dig Gardening

 

 

Colourful orchids ©Love Orchids

How to keep your orchids blooming in the summer heat

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The ice cube trick and 4 other clever hacks from the British growing experts who have just launched a new online orchid shop

Struggling to stop your orchids from wilting? Direct sunlight and high temperatures can wreak havoc on the UK’s most popular indoor plant and so the largest orchid grower in Britain, Double H Nurseries, is advising flower fans to make some simple changes to their normal plant care routine.

Their blooming advice comes as they officially launch a new online orchid shop – Love Orchids – where Brits can buy four orchids from as little as £20 including free home delivery.

The Hampshire-based nursery normally sells its orchids in major supermarkets but with lockdown, demand plummeted as no-one could buy the plants. So, they switched to selling online and since the new Love Orchids shop was unveiled just under two months ago, over 50,000 plants have been sold to homes across the country – saving the orchids from the compost heap.

Here the Love Orchids’ plant expert Mark Riley gives his top tips on keeping your plant blooming for weeks in the summer heat :-

Millions of Phalaenopsis orchids – pronounced Fal-en-op-sis and commonly known as moth orchids – are sold every year and normally require minimum upkeep. But as temperatures rise, the summer heat can result in orchid flowers quickly flopping.

  1. Water TWICE a week instead of once– orchids normally only need a weekly water but in high temperatures this should be increased. Run your orchid under a tap or let it soak in the sink for a few minutes. Wall-watered roots have plump green roots. If they look silvery grey or shrivelled, pop the plant under the tap.
  2. The ICE CUBE trick – add a few ice cubes to the surface of the bark instead of watering, avoiding the leaves. They will gradually melt and provide the required hydration. Make sure any surplus water is removed from beneath the orchid within an hour as orchids don’t like sitting in H2O.
  3. Grab some GRAVEL and give misting a MISS – orchids originate from warm tropical Asia and prefer humid conditions, rather than dry. Increase humidity for your orchid by placing the pot on a layer of wet gravel, keeping the water level below the top of the stones. Avoid using a water ‘mister’ as this can lead to spotting on the flowers and deposits on the leaves as many water supplies are ‘hard’, containing limescale.
  4. Do add some FEED – orchids grow more actively during the summer so add fertiliser to the water fortnightly. Their nutritional requirements are very minimal so only use orchid specific ‘food’ and never exceed the recommended dose. During cooler weather, orchids can happily survive on water without additional feed.
  5. DON’T let it shine – orchids love a bright window but they are not keen on direct sunlight, particularly in hot, dry weather. They also don’t like radiators. East or west-facing windows and bathrooms are best.

Mark Riley from Love Orchids said: “Growing orchids in the summer heat is really easy as long as you make some simple tweaks to your normal plant care routine. An extra water a week, some plant food and a position away from direct sun is key. Orchids look beautiful, can flower for months and last for years. And there’s an orchid for everyone’s tastes.”

The range of orchid products and gifts available at www.loveorchids.co.uk includes:

Mini orchids – from £20 for four including delivery

Large orchids (single stem) – from £28 for four including delivery

Large orchids (twin stem) – from £40 for four including delivery

Mini orchid in ceramic – choice of pink or white mini orchid in its own ceramic pot £19 including delivery

Mini orchid duo in ceramics – two orchids in two stylish ceramic pots £30 including delivery

Mini cascade orchids – from £28 for four including delivery

Mini cascade orchid in ceramic – choice of pink or white mini cascade orchid in its own ceramic pot £22 including delivery

ENDS

For further press information contact Emma Mason at emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Notes for editors:

Double H Nurseries, which runs Love Orchids, was established in 1961 and supplies over 4.5 million indoor plants to UK retailers including orchids, roses, poinsettias and chrysanthemums.

 

 

 

 

Newby Hall Gardens open to the public for 2020 season

Newby Hall Gardens open to the public for 2020 season

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One of the UK’s finest gardens, Newby Hall in North Yorkshire, has opened to visitors for the first time this year. The famous horticultural landmark, the current holder of the Historic Houses Garden of the Year title, should have opened in April for the 2020 season but lockdown started before the gates could open.

Owners Richard and Lucinda Compton, aided by the head Gardener Phil Cormie, have worked through the enforced two-month closure, mowing grass, planting and watering the 25 acres of gardens to make sure they are looking at their early summer best. Gates were finally opened to members of the public on Saturday (6 June).

Strict measures have been put in place to ensure visitor and staff safety. Online ticket booking only has been introduced to manage the number of visitors each day, with a limit on numbers arriving in three different arrival periods.  Safety information is given to visitors at the start of their visit to ensure social distancing and staff at the visitor entrance are protected by plastic screens, as are the team at the onsite café providing take-away refreshments.  Additional toilets have been opened in the gardens and a rigorous hygiene regime implemented for all outdoor areas.

“It is an overwhelming feeling of relief to see visitors back enjoying the gardens,” said Richard Compton “Visitors, and the essential income they bring, allow us to maintain the house and gardens for future generations of visitors to enjoy.  It is wonderful to see people coming through the gates at Newby again.”

Stuart Gill, Commercial Director, said “The lockdown period frustratingly coincided with the sunniest ever May but we’re delighted that the easing of the lockdown measures has allowed us finally to open the gardens.  We hope that the playground, railway, restaurant, exhibitions and house tours can open soon too.”

For more information go to www.newbyhall.com 

Notes to editors

Newby Hall is one of Britain’s finest Adam Houses.  Built in the 1690s by Sir Christopher Wren, it was later enlarged and adapted by John Carr and subsequently Robert Adam. Newby in the modern day is a popular visitor attraction, welcoming approximately 150,000 visitors each Opening Season.

Attractions at Newby Hall include Adventure Gardens, Gardens, Miniature Train, The Brandreth Bears and the Dollshouse Collection.

Newby Hall & Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 5AJ. Telephone: 01423 322583.

 

Wild Exbury: Nature-friendly focus for visitors at New Forest’s Exbury Gardens in 2020

Wild Exbury: Nature-friendly focus for visitors at New Forest’s Exbury Gardens in 2020

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New Dragonfly Pond learning zone & Dragonfly Halt steam railway stop

Wild Exbury theme with nature-based activities for visitors

New garden attractions include a Birch Walk & revamped Iris Garden

Exbury Gardens in the New Forest will be encouraging visitors of all ages to learn more about the natural world this year with a programme of wildlife-themed activities, and a new Dragonfly Pond education area and steam railway stop.

Wild Exbury

Building on the success of its 2019 centenary, the 200-acre woodland garden will be running a Wild Exbury programme of events when it opens for the season on 14 March until 1 November 2020. Visitors will get the chance to track wildlife around Exbury, learn bushcraft skills, pond dip, and identify rare plants and trees, as well as native wildflowers.

A Dragonfly Pond learning zone, with floating pontoons for visitors to walk on so they can get close to the wildlife action, will be unveiled. Designed with the help of the UK’s leading dragonfly experts*, this area will boast interpretation boards filled with dragonfly facts and take-away tips on how you can encourage these wonderful creatures into your own back garden. An existing, large ornamental pond in the gardens has been adapted for the insects with dragonfly-friendly, native aquatic and marginal plants.

Dragonflies are crucial bio-indictors of the health of the UK’s rivers, canals and ponds, but modern-day development, drainage and climate change have meant their numbers have fallen dramatically. By creating a dragonfly education space, Exbury Gardens hopes to boost awareness of their plight and inspire visitors to help protect them. Exbury’s Dragonfly Pond area will also include an outdoor shelter which will act as a classroom for local groups and school children. The zone will be open to visitors from late spring.

And steam railway buffs will be chuffed as Exbury’s famous Rhododendron Line steam railway will now be able to stop at the Dragonfly Halt platform, so visitors can easily disembark to explore the new pond area.

Other developments at Exbury in 2020 include a new Birch Walk leading down to Jubilee Pond, and a refurbished Iris Garden containing hundreds of stunning new iris plants, and tree ferns.

Thomas Clarke, head gardener at Exbury, said: “The gardens at Exbury are rightly famous for their unique plant collections but they also offer visitors a wonderful opportunity to get closer to nature. We have 200 acres of incredible woodland gardens, wildflower meadows and ponds to explore, plus lots of wildlife to spy.”

Created by Lionel de Rothschild in 1919, a passionate collector of plants and a keen supporter and sponsor of the early 20th century plant hunters, Exbury has grown to become a stunning garden paradise filled with rare plants, shrubs and trees. Its Centenary Garden, designed by Lionel’s great grand-daughter and RHS gold medal award-winning designer, Marie-Louise Agius, opened to the public last year, as did the River of Gold, around 150,000 mainly yellow spring bulbs planted in the lawns, weaving around rare trees near Exbury House, to give a colour burst.

Exbury is most famous for its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas. Thousands of rhododendrons have been planted over the years and well over 1,000 hybrids have been raised by three generations of the Rothschild family.

ENDS

For further information or images, contact PR Emma Mason on 07762 117433 emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or Celise Galloway on 023 8024 5754 celise.galloway@exbury.co.uk

Notes for Editors:

Exbury Gardens, located in the New Forest near Southampton, is open daily from 14 March 2020 until 1 November 2020 10am – 5.30pm. Full information at www.exbury.co.uk Thanks to its unrivalled collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias, Exbury Gardens is famed for its riot of spring colour, as well as a vast array of beautiful, mature rare trees. Over recent years the Hampshire garden has been expanded for all-season interest with areas designed to show off summer and autumn ‘flower power’, as well as an extension of its 1 ½-mile Rhododendron Line steam railway.

* Ruary Mackenzie Dodds and his wife Kari de Koenigswarter are leading dragonfly experts. Ruary is a Dragonfly Ambassador for the British Dragonfly Society, having opened Europe’s first public Dragonfly Sanctuary, published two books on the species and appeared on BBC Springwatch. Kari co-wrote The Dragonfly-Friendly Gardener with Ruary, and compiled the British Dragonfly’s Information Pack for Schools. She has also run courses on identifying dragonflies. The couple spend part of the year raising the importance of dragonflies as bio-indicators in New Zealand.

 

 

Lakeland Gold

New vegan-friendly peat-free compost mix from Dalefoot as company marks major UK peat bog restoration milestone

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From saving peatlands to #peatfree

  • Dalefoot’s popular Lakeland Gold clay-buster compost now vegan-friendly
  • Its peat-free composts stocked in 112 garden centres/nurseries across UK including NEW for spring 2020 six Blue Diamond stores
  • Dalefoot’s environmental business restored over 32,700 hectares of damaged peat bog in 20 years  – over 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions stored since it was launched
  • Company works on Dartmoor, the Cairngorms and in the Lake District restoring peatlands to lock in carbon and reduce flooding risk

Dalefoot Composts has boosted its pioneering peat-free gardening range with a vegan-friendly compost for spring 2020 and announced a major carbon-saving milestone for its environmental contracting arm that restores precious peatlands across the UK.

The family-run company’s popular Lakeland Gold* compost, made from bracken sustainably harvested from the local fells, is now 100% vegan-friendly, thanks to a tweak to its potash-rich recipe**.

Lakeland Gold acts as a powerful soil conditioner, ideal for spring and autumn mulching on your garden beds as well as clay-busting, and is packed with natural slow-release nutrients helping to develop a fertile, living soil. Like the rest of Dalefoot’s peat-free, premium compost range, it is Soil Association-approved for organic growing and is available to buy online or from a growing list of stockists.

As well as encouraging gardeners to use peat-free compost, in a further step to combat the challenges of climate change, Dalefoot also helps restore the UK’s damaged peat bogs. Last year its team repaired over 3,200 hectares of degraded peatlands across the UK – some damaged by peat extraction for the horticultural industry – adding to the 29,500 hectares it’s completed in the past 20 years, the equivalent of 45,800 football pitches. Using innovative restoration techniques, the work turns the bogs back into carbon sinks. This equates to 1 million tonnes of carbon emissions– equivalent to 500,000 flights from London to New York – saved since Dalefoot started two decades ago, .

Professor Jane Barker, who runs Dalefoot Composts with her husband Simon Bland, said: “We are all now witnessing the effects of global warming and climate change: be it earlier flowering bulbs, the need for extra watering or for some too much rain. As gardeners we all have the opportunity to make a difference! Going peat-free isn’t just a personal choice, it’s a way we can all have an impact in our own individual way on climate change. Peat is pure carbon laid down over thousands of years and it needs to stay in a bog (not a bag!). Lots of little steps make giant strides.”

Simon and Jane have pioneered techniques to repair these fragile landscapes, with their team often working in challenging conditions in remote sites for organisations like Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and South West Water. They have engineered specialist equipment, lighter than a human footprint, needed to work on the delicate surface of peat bogs.

Dalefoot Composts is a farm-based business producing an exciting range of peat-free composts using only the natural resources of wool and bracken sustainably sourced from the beautiful Lake District. Its premium composts include Wool Compost for Potting & Containers, Wool Compost for Vegetables & Salads, Wool Compost for Tomatoes, Wool Compost Double Strength, Wool Compost Ericaceous (and Double Strength), Bulb Compost and Wool Compost for Seeds. Lakeland Gold, the original bracken compost, is now 100% vegan-friendly.

ENDS

For further information please contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762117433

Notes for editors: *Lakeland Gold – enriches your soil by increasing the organic matter. Benefits include natural slow release nutrients, moisture retention, pH balance, erosion reduction and providing a banquet for earthworms. Apply in the autumn directly to the top of the soil and allow the worms to work it into the beds. Also use as a top dressing for plants in the spring. Feeds naturally for two years. Proven CLAYBUSTER – clay soils will gain a more open structure so they drain better. The lignin contained in the bracken breaks up the clay and releases the nutrients held within. ** It no longer contains farmyard manure.

Dalefoot’s story – The entrepreneurial couple behind Dalefoot, environmental scientist Jane Barker and farmer Simon Bland, started making compost from the natural ingredients around their Cumbrian farm in 1997. Inspired by early 20th century gardening books that mentioned wool as a garden mulch, and a desire to make good use of the invasive bracken growing on the fells, the couple invented their secret compost recipe, bagged the product up themselves and started selling at local farmers’ markets. Twenty years later the compost is sold across the UK and has been shortlisted for RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden Product of the Year. The business employs 18 local people, and sources bracken and wool from local farmers.

Growing benefits of the compost include:

  • Natural water retention of wool fibres means up to 50% less watering.
  • Wool provides a steady, slow sustained supply of nitrogen.
  • High levels of natural potash from the bracken promotes flowering and fruiting, healthy growth and hearty crops – NO need for any additional plant food.
  • Made from 100% renewable resources with great environmental benefits.
  • The compost has a similar soft texture to peat and has a wide range of naturally occurring trace elements for good plant health.

The range is available online at www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk from £10.99 per bag down to £7.50 each for orders of 50 bags plus delivery, and also from a growing list of stockists.

Tel: 01931 713281   Email: sales@dalefootcomposts.co.uk  @DalefootCompost

 

Birds, bees, butterflies and brilliant wee beasties: wildlife and biodiversity in Scotland’s open gardens to be celebrated in 2020

Birds, bees, butterflies and brilliant wee beasties: wildlife and biodiversity in Scotland’s open gardens to be celebrated in 2020

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  • 526 gardens to open their gates for charity across the country during the year
  • 89 gardens opening for the first time
  • At least 47 gardens opening for a May Garden Festival Weekend (23-25 May), 26 participating in Snowdrops & Winter Walks (Feb-March) and 17 in the Angus & Dundee Garden Trail during June
  • 8 allotments, 9 therapeutic, 17 community and 3 school gardens, plus several retirement homes
  • Over 250 charities, large and small, to benefit from funds raised
  • Openings will raise importance of ‘healthy gardens’ packed with wildlife and their contribution to environment and tackling climate chang

 

The positive impact gardens can make to the environment in a world battling climate change is to be highlighted this year by the open garden charity Scotland’s Gardens Scheme.

With over 500 mainly private gardens opening their gates to the public, and around 40% of those boasting a wildlife area, the charity is calling on visitors to embrace the natural world by enjoying, learning and being inspired to create nature-friendly features in their own gardens at home.

“Every little helps: whether it be planting flowers to attract pollinators or using natural pest controls; making a garden pond or keeping bees,” says the charity’s President, HRH The Duchess of Rothesay (HRH Duchess of Cornwall) in the 2020 Scotland’s Gardens Scheme Guidebook, which also includes wildlife gardening tips from Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper for the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Special wild gardens opening this year include Baile Geamhraidh on a biodynamic farm on the Island of Lismore in the Inner Hebrides, where wildflowers, birds, bees and butterflies abound; Barochreal in Argyll with active beehives, a wild garden, a small glen and waterfall where 40 different species of moth and over 70 species of wildflowers, including three types of wild orchid, have been spotted, as well as red squirrels and pine martins; and Bruckills Croft in Aberdeenshire, the home of award-winning wildlife gardener Helen Rushton, which has its own butterfly alley.

For the first time, a May Garden Festival Weekend (23-25 May) will be held with dozens of gardens opening across Scotland, including many normally only open ‘by arrangement’. Galanthophiles will love the 26 gardens opening for Snowdrop & Winter Walks during February and March including  Kailzie Gardens in Peeblesshire & Tweeddale, a snowdrop collection of over 150 varieties at Ecclesgreig Castle in Kincardine & Deeside, and Danevale Park which is opening for the fiftieth time on 23 February with an old-fashioned tea served in the house. Running over Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in June, the Angus & Dundee Garden Trail will offer 17 diverse gardens to explore, including a wildflower meadow, community garden and productive walled garden.

During the year visitors will get the chance to visit 89 new gardens, opening to the public for the first time for the charity, including:

  • Jupiter Artland, & Bonnington House, Edinburgh & West Lothian: private garden of Bonnington House and extensive grounds of the adjoining award-winning sculpture park, and contemporary arts and education venue – Jupiter Artland, is an example of an extraordinary marriage of arts and nature.
  • Gardyne Castle, Angus: beautiful and varied formal gardens, featuring a fishpond and the family’s collection of chickens, merge into mature woods and parkland with a spectacular display of bluebells and romantic walks along the Denton Burn.
  • Duchess of Montrose Memorial Garden, Glasgow & District: a delightful and peaceful new garden created from the derelict site of a former shipyard. The garden has provided huge therapeutic benefits for everyone who has visited it.
  • 1 Burnton Road, Ayrshire: a serpentine path meanders through dense planting of palms, bamboos and tree ferns. Of particular note are hardy and tender bromeliads and aroids such as arisaema and colocasia.
  • Crinan, Wigtownshire : ten lochs, many unusual conifers including Wollemi Pine.
  • Bothwell Village Gardens, Lanarkshire: four delightful gardens developed by various local organisations in conjunction with the Local Authority. Each has its own atmosphere created by individual plantings. You will find formal and informal gardens, managed woodland, a sensory garden, suffragette-inspired planting, wildflowers, sculptures, plus quirky features such as craft bombing and fairy doors.

“This year we are thinking about healthy gardens by celebrating wildlife,” said Terrill Dobson, National Organiser for Scotland’s Gardens Scheme. “Our gardens and greenspaces are ecosystems that nurture a vast array of biodiversity including insects, butterflies, birds, small animals, earthworms and even beneficial bacteria. And these in turn benefit our gardens, through pollination, improved structure and pest control, just to name a few. It’s wonderful to offer the public so many fantastic nature-friendly gardens to visit and we’re hoping lots of people will walk away inspired by what they’ve seen.”

Other highlights include Shetland gardens celebrating 10 years opening for the charity such as Cruisdale,  Highlands Garden, Lea Gardens, Nonavaar and Norby.

More than 250 local and national charities will benefit from the funds raised through garden openings including Scotland’s Gardens Scheme’s own beneficiary charities – the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland, Maggie’s and Perennial. It will also be offering a £5,000 bursary to a guest charity to help fund projects to improve physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Last year Trellis received a bursary towards its excellent work to support therapeutic gardens across Scotland.  Over £1 million has been raised for charity over the last four years through Scotland’s Garden Scheme’s openings.

ENDS

For further media information please contact: Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk or 07762 117433.  High res images and logos are available.

OR Terrill Dobson, National Organiser, on  terrill@scotlandsgardens.org  or 0131-226 3714,

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Scotland’s Gardens Scheme raises money for other charities by facilitating the opening of large and small gardens of horticultural interest throughout Scotland to the public. Most are privately owned and are normally inaccessible to the public at other times.

Visitors can plan their days out to participating gardens by clicking onto scotlandsgardens.org.  Click on which area you’d like to visit and details of all gardens opening locally will be displayed, with opening hours, online map and key details. Garden highlights can also be found on Twitter @ScotGardens  Instagram ScotlandGardenScheme and on Facebook ScotlandsGardens.  As well as on the website, garden listings can be found in the Scotland’s Gardens Scheme 2020 Guidebook, on sale in major bookshops, at tourist attractions, garden centres etc and online via www.scotlandsgardens.org.

Sixty percent of funds raised may go to charities nominated by each garden owner with the net remainder being donated to SGS beneficiary charities.

 

 

 

Rock Garden Restoration, Newby Hall, North Yorkshire UK

Rock on! New head gardener at Newby Hall to lead major five-year rock garden restoration project

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  • Phil Cormie appointed head gardener joining from the Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park
  • Newby’s historic Edwardian rock garden to be completely renovated in five-year project
  • Newby nr Ripon was recently crowned Historic Houses Garden of the Year

Yorkshire’s famous horticultural landmark Newby Hall is set to get an extensive rock garden facelift, thanks to a major restoration scheme being led by new head gardener Phil Cormie.

Phil Cormie has joined Newby’s team from North Yorkshire’s Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park and the first task on his ‘to do’ list is to crack on with transforming the overgrown historic rock garden area.

Built before WW1 when the new trend for rock garden construction was at its peak, Newby’s rock garden includes a waterfall, stone bridge that doubles as a miniature aquaduct and many vast rocks covered with rare plants and trees. Ellen Willmott, the visionary Edwardian plantswoman and a great friend of Newby’s owners at the time, was integral in its conception and construction. Work on the garden ceased in 1914 when many of the Estate workers signed up for Kitchener’s Army, heading off to France. Sadly, many did not return.

Newby Hall garden team in the rock garden
Picture Credit Charlotte Graham

Over the years, plants and trees in the rock garden have matured and outgrown the space and now, over a century later, the area will once again become the main focus for the Newby garden team. Working closely with specialists Kevock Garden Plants & Design, Phil Cormie, and Newby’s owners Richard and Lucinda Compton, aim to transform the space to ensure it is conserved for generations of visitors to come.

With a team of six, Phil Cormie is keen to ensure Newby remains one of the best gardens in the UK. He said: “The chance to play a part in shaping the spirit and the story of Newby Hall was irresistible. I am delighted to be involved in this exciting and important project, to protect and enhance one of Britain’s finest gardens. Visitors have a real love for Newby Hall so my aim is to provide a real floral spectacle as well as enhancing the beauty and romance of the garden.

“Transforming and renovating the rock garden is a huge project and causes quite a dilemma as it’s obviously important to retain the spirit of the place. The overgrown tree canopy did give the air of a secret garden but this caused the herbaceous underplanting to be wiped out due to a lack of sunlight. There are no original plans or planting schemes so we are trying to interpret what we believe to be the original vision for the rock garden – huge rocky outcrops with intimate planting pockets for unusual alpines. By removing some of the tree canopy, we have already started to unveil the scale and drama of the rock faces which are spectacular!”

Newby was recently crowned the Historic Houses Garden of the Year and its much-loved gardens are visited by over a hundred thousand people every year and often feature on film and TV. Taking centre stage is the eye-catching 172-metre-long double border, celebrated for being the longest in a private garden in the UK, plus 14 other stunning garden ‘rooms’, two heritage orchards and 30 acres of woodland.

Already a star of film and screen productions such as Peaky Blinders, Victoria, Gentleman Jack and the ABC Murders, Newby Hall will step further into the spotlight later this year when the popular three-day Harrogate Autumn Flower Show permanently moves site to its grounds.

ENDS

For further information contact Emma Mason on emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433 or Louise Scott on louise.s@newbyhall.com  01423 320412

newbyhall.com Twitter – @newbyhall  Facebook – newbyhallandgardens Instagram – newbyhallandgardens

NOTES TO EDITORS

  • Newby Hall is a William and Mary house located between Ripon and Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire, built in the 1690s until the guidance of Christopher Wren. John Carr remodelled the house in the 18th century, with interiors by Robert Adam and furniture by Chippendale. Owner Richard Compton is the 10th generation of his family to live at Newby.
  • The House and Gardens are open to the public from April to September, attracting around 140,000 visitors each season. The venue boasts a restaurant, miniature railway, gift shop and plant centre, day visitor events and weddings.
  • The gardening team has a head gardener, 6 full time gardeners and a handful of volunteers.  They care for the 25 acres of formal gardens and a further 15 acres of woodland and orchard, plus a national collection of Cornus.
  • Newby Hall is just a few miles from the A1(M), the main London to Edinburgh motorway. Close by are the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire Moors National Parks and the historic cities of York and Ripon.