National Gardening Week was launched by the RHS to get the nation growing.
The benefits of gardens and gardening are felt by many millions of people every day. Gardening protects our environment, strengthens communities, helps children learn, and contributes to happy, healthy lives.
Through National Gardening Week, thousands of people across the country are coming together to help keep Britain beautiful by sharing and celebrating everything about gardens and gardening.
Communities and organisations are pulling out all the stops to host garden open days, garden parties, quizzes, plant swaps and a wealth of other activities to share advice or lend helping hands to friends, neighbours and the local community.
If you’d like to get involved with National Gardening Week, click here.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has lots of exciting plans for National Gardening Week 2013. Throughout the week it will be focussing on two main themes, horticultural careers and planting for wildlife, with events in its gardens across the country.
Going Wild for Wildflowers at RHS Gardens
Learn about wildflowers and wildlife at RHS Gardens. Young gardeners can get their hands dirty and make mini seed-bombs to take home. They can also learn how to sow their very own mini-wildflower meadow, perfect for attracting birds, bugs and creepy crawlies of all types.
More experienced gardeners can find out how to support the wildlife in their gardens through a range of talks and interactive workshops on beekeeping, managing 'meadows' and more.
At RHS Garden Rosemoor in Devon, RHS experts will introduce visitors to a range of 'Plants for Pollinators' and explain the benefits of using them in the garden. They will also share their top tips for establishing wildflower meadows, whatever the size, with advice about everything from site and soil conditions, to the use of wildflower plug plants and mowing. For full details of events, click here.
At RHS Garden Harlow Carr in North Yorkshire, talks with the garden team will help visitors learn how to prepare the ground, sow and manage a wildflower patch, and families can learn to make wildflower seed-bombs. For full details of events, click here.
Experts at RHS Garden Wisley, in Surrey, will show visitors how to sow their own mini-meadow, and young wildlife gardeners can make nasturtium seed-bombs to take home. Visitors looking to know more, will also be able to hear a range of talks from experts on subjects such as growing wildflowers and beekeeping. For full details of events, click here.
RHS Garden Hyde Hall in Essex, will host a fun-packed weekend that boasts a Spring Plant Fair, family sow and grow activities, expert Q&A and mini-meadow workshops. For full details of events, click here.
RHS experts will also be on hand at all gardens throughout National Gardening week to give advice and tips on any gardening problem. Visitors inspired to start straight away will be able to buy plants, tools and gardening products from the RHS Plant Centres.
For even more help to encourage wildlife into your garden, click here for advice on what to plant, and look out for the Plants for Pollinators logo (below) in garden centres.
Cultivate Your Career with the RHS
Horticulture is for drop outs, it’s unskilled and unfulfilling according to young people.
These misconceptions came to light during a survey commissioned by the RHS, which is concerned about this image problem and the looming skills gap threatening horticulture’s workforce.
Last year the RHS hosted a careers conference lead by Alan Titchmarsh to rally the industry into taking action. National Gardening Week 2013 will play a key role in helping organisations make a lasting impact on the image of horticulture and inspire more people to develop a career in the industry.
RHS Gardens will host interactive activities for school pupils and college students to get a taste of the breadth of horticultural careers on Thursday 18 April. Students will be able to interview and garden with scientists, botanists, TV presenters, curators, artists and others from across the horticultural world. For more information please email ngwcareers@rhs.org.uk