The Natural Gardener
It’s always exciting when the RHS reveals details of its Chelsea Flower Show gardens. It’s a lovely way to start the year, dreaming of warm, sunny May days among beautiful plots, marvelling at the blooms and buzzing bees. Won’t be long now!
Chelsea isn’t just about lavish spectacles and perfect planting, though; these days it tends to tap into the concerns of the nation superbly. For example, one of its displays, called the 'Garden for Friendship', will throw light on the subject of loneliness and mental health, while another, to be designed by Adam Frost, will be called the RHS Plant Health Garden. This one intrigues me – 2020 is, in fact, the United Nation’s International Year of Plant Health, organised to raise global awareness about disease threat and protecting the environment. I can’t wait to see what Adam comes up with; healthy cultivation, gardening naturally and good hygiene are all important topics to promote.
To keep your garden in rude health, there’s no time like the present. Here are a few things to remember so your plots sails through the season. Always take propagation material from healthy plants; use more of your own seed and cuttings so you can be sure of their origins. Try to buy plants grown in the UK, and before buying anything, check leaves, soil and roots for signs of disease. Make cleanliness second nature – give everything a good scrub from top to bottom, including garden footwear. Monitor your plants’ health as they’re growing and get to know what pests or diseased leaves look like so you can at least deal with them swiftly and naturally, before they take hold.
Prevention is better than cure, of course. Good plant and soil husbandry is the key to a thriving garden. Simply give them what they want; good food, light, water and space means they’ll be robust and resistant, protected from any problems that may arise.