From 2-8 May, National Gardening Week commences!
Run by the RHS, National Gardening Week 2022 aims to help us discover and celebrate the joy of gardening.
Have you always wanted to get your green thumb going and spend time cultivating your garden? It’s never too late to put on your gardening gloves for the first time, so why not let this week be the start of your horticultural journey?!
Or if you’re a regular gardener, use the week to really enjoy and appreciate your garden and the joy it brings you – whether that’s from relaxing and soaking up its beauty, or nurturing your plants and veggies.
Spend time in your garden
National Gardening Week is a great incentive to spend some extra time outside. That could simply mean 5 minutes in the morning drinking your coffee and enjoying the nature around you, or a few hours tending to your plants. Evidence strongly suggests that spending time in, or even just looking at a green space reduces stress, helps us relax and improves our mood, so even the smallest amount of time spent in your garden can benefit your feeling of wellbeing.
Actually getting your hands dirty and doing some gardening can have additional benefits too. As gardening-focused charity Thrive explain, “While gardens can be relaxing, they can also be places where our efforts result in a real sense of achievement, boosting confidence and self-esteem.” Transforming a once neglected space into a beautiful border or productive patch feels so good! So whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned gardener, grab a notebook and jot down the gardening goals you’d like to achieve. Don’t be afraid to start small or aim big! Just having a goal is the perfect starting point.
Get tool’d up
Tools for the garden are essential to helping you create the space you desire. There is a tool for pretty much everything so it can feel overwhelming to decide which gardening tools you really need.
Investing in some basic tools and accessories is a great way to kickstart your gardening hobby. Look after them just like you would a new a plant, and they’ll reward your investment by lasting for years to come!
Your gardening starter kit…
1. Gloves
Keep your fingers safe from thistles, thorns and splinters. Choose a durable yet flexible pair that have good grip for the times when you may be handling gardening tools. Selecting a pair that cut off just above your wrist can prevent incoming soil and potential scratches! If you want your hands to stay sweat free choose a breathable material. You want to make sure they truly fit you like a glove to avoid any blisters – try before you buy to get the perfect fit!
2. A good’ol garden fork
Short and stumpy, a garden fork is essential for turning soil over with ease and defeating any dense soil. You’ll be digging away in no time! A garden fork looks like a mini pitchfork and can be bought with straight or square tines: square, super-strong tines are ideal for breaking up tough, clay soil, whereas flat faced tines are good for loamy, sandy or loose soil.
3. Trustworthy hand trowel
A hand trowel goes hand in hand with a garden fork. This tool is essential for planting small plants. Again, you can select between different sizes and blade shapes depending on your garden goal. Are you wanting to transport soil from bag to pot? Choose a broad trowel. Need to plant in tight places like a rock garden or container? A narrower blade is great for this, as well as dealing with rocky soil or removing stubborn weeds.
The RHS have put together a guide to choosing key gardening tools which you can find here.
No outdoor space? No problem
If you don’t have your own outdoor space, there are still ways for you to get into gardening.
Getting involved in a community garden is a great way to get your gardening fix and will allow you to reap the many benefits of getting outside along with meeting new people, working as a team and learning from more seasoned gardeners.
You could also create a plant paradise indoors. Research shows that indoor gardening can bring about the same health benefits as a traditional garden space and following a boom in the popularity of houseplants a wider range and variety has never been more readily available.
The garden buildings featured in this post will be on display in three of the show gardens at RHS Malvern Spring Festival, taking place between 5-8 May 2022 in the Malvern Hills. Tickets are available to purchase online now. With so much inspiration and information at your disposal, exploring an RHS flower show is certain to get you in the gardening mood!
If you can’t make the show, our 11 showsites across the UK also have a wide range of Malvern Garden Buildings available to browse. You can find your closest showsite here.
