A revolution in horticulture
Madeleine Howell meets the new faces who are introducing gardening to a new audience
The public mood is having one of its periodic shifts. This time to gardening. Of the three million Britons who took it up over the past year (according to the Horticultural Trades Association), a third are under 45. Google searches for plants now rival those for dresses, and allotments are harder to get hold of than Glastonbury tickets (the National Allotment Society reported an increase of more than 300 per cent last year). In the first lockdown, Amazon saw a huge 1,237 per cent spike in seed sales in just 24 hours.
Meanwhile, recent research from Draper Tools has demonstrated that gardening is increasingly perceived as “cool”, according to 83 per cent of 2,000 people in the 18-34 age group surveyed. More than half (53 per cent) said they would rather spend time in a garden centre than a nightclub.
Gardens are a means of self-expression and, like rock ’n’ roll, can be subversive. Cultural pioneers from Vita Sackville-West to Derek Jarman put as much rebellious energy into gardening as into their art. The 18th-century poet Minnie Aumonier wrote that “when society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden” and that’s true today. In fact, choosing to spend time offline tending green shoots is a radical act.
This week, fringe ideas about gardening are set to go mainstream at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, rescheduled from May. The One Show and the RHS will present a “Garden of Hope” designed by Arit Anderson, the RHS COP26 garden will promote biodiversity and other gardens will celebrate the therapeutic benefits of gardening, or showcase what can be created in small spaces like balconies and containers. With that in mind, allow us to introduce you to a few of the exciting new tastemakers in the gardening world, on a mission to spread the message that everyone can grow.
Kirsty Ward, 31, a self-confessed ‘allotment-obsessed dahlia fanatic’ from Lancashire, began gardening in April 2017 as a means to recover from a breakdown. This year, she has designed a wellbeing garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, exploring gardening as therapy
My gardening story is a very personal one. I got my allotment four years ago during a severe breakdown, suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder after a difficult pregnancy and birth.
Veterans suffering from PTSD are often encouraged to explore the proven therapeutic benefits of outdoor activity. Gardening can fulfil each of the NHS’s five steps to mental well-being: connecting with people, being physically active, learning new skills, giving to others and taking notice of the world around you. I contacted the local council and within three weeks, luckily, I got a plot. My dad, grandma and grandad all grew fruit and vegetables, so subconsciously it was always something I’d wanted to do.
A few weeks in, I realised it was hugely benefiting me. For months, I hadn’t seen any kind of future for myself. I was very close to not wanting to be here a lot of the time. But I found myself standing in front of the shed, drinking a cup of tea, thinking, “Oh, next year, I’ll do this,” and then thinking, “Wow, I’m actually thinking about the future.” It was an overwhelming moment.
I had no experience, so there was a lot of trial and error. I started an Instagram account and a blog, initially as a diary to look back on my progress. I was 26 at
the time and at first I got a lot of questions, because I wasn’t the stereotypical allotmenteer. I felt it was important to encourage other people to try gardening for therapy, and to raise awareness about the mental health implications that can surround birth.
Soon, I began doing talks about gardening, partnering with brands and speaking in schools. It’s so exciting to be at Chelsea this year and to have a bigger platform to talk about gardening for wellbeing.
My garden with the Original Muck Boot Company is designed to engage all the senses, to sit in and reflect. A range of colours from dark to light represent a journey through a troubling time towards hope and optimism. The winter is always a difficult period, but knowing that when March comes around again you can start sowing seeds once more gives a hopeful feeling.
As well as colour, there will be things you can feel, smell and hear, such as herbs and a water feature. It’s intended to help visitors de-stress and reconnect to nature, while also providing practical ideas. There’ll be a display of some of the produce I’ve grown on the allotment, such as rhubarb and squash, to share the message of the power of growing your own.
Perceptions of allotments are definitely changing. There are more women and families on allotments now, which is amazing, because it’s so important to teach the younger generations we can grow more than just plain old potatoes and carrots. I grow Guatemalan blue banana squash, pink and purple potatoes and yellow and purple beans. I’ve grown loofah sponges in my greenhouse, cucamelons (tiny melons which taste like cucumbers) and rainbow sweetcorn, using vertical space to grow tomatoes and lettuce in hanging baskets. I love to showcase colourful flowers too, such as gladioli and dahlias.
Social media is playing a huge part in sharing mad, fun ideas, such as growing plants in reclaimed vintage bathtubs, rainwater harvesting and DIY strawberry gutters using old guttering. It makes it easier to think, well, “I can give that a go.” I do a lot of how-to videos, such as when to plant your dahlia tubers and how to look after them.
The gardening community is massive now, and buzzing with new enthusiasm and ideas. It’s being reinvented as a cool hobby and it’s very social – I love meeting like-minded people, swapping seeds and produce, and going to buy plants. I’m really grateful that this is where my journey has taken me. Gardening also keeps you fit and healthy – I don’t need to go to the gym!