Let’s all hope for light at the end of lockdown tunnel for our garden centres
THIS weekend there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.While lockdown lingers on for the majority of us, there are suggestions ministers may finally be planning to relax restrictions on garden centres and nurseries. I have been campaigning hard in recent weeks for people to be allowed to buy plants and shrubs – which should be classed as essentials – guilt-free from supermarkets, and for garden centres and nurseries to be allowed to open for their sale.
Garden centres are so much more than just shops for plants due to their links with local charities, communities and schools.
In many places, they are a community resource and hub. Because of this, I believe they should be among the first tranche of retailers to open. Safe social distancing in an outdoor plant sales area is unquestionably easier to manage than at an indoor supermarket. By adopting the Government’s guidelines, safety can prevail.
And during this stressful and anxious time, the many physical and mental health benefits of getting closer to plants, gardening and nature will help reduce pressure on care services.
There are few businesses which offer free advice face-to-face, on the phone or online as do dedicated teams at garden centres. Like pharmacies, garden centres give advice on health, pests and disease and dispense medicine over the counter, just for plants rather than people. Their staff advise on anything from plant selection and growing requirements to garden design and furniture, from a pot plant for the kitchen windowsill to supporting local wildlife. The Bunker family who run Alton Garden Centre in Wickford, Essex, got in touch to reveal how they are delivering free unsold bedding and vegetable plants to 40 local schools that have stayed open for the children of key workers.
Andy Bunker told me: “We made up collections of bedding and vegetable plants and delivered these to each of the schools.
“The response was amazing.Teachers were able to explain about the plants and then let the children plant them which they enjoyed doing.We were pleased to be able to support them in spreading a little fun and happiness.” This is just one example among many across
the country, showing the kind heart of garden centres which makes them stand out from other retailers as firms that care about their community.
Making a friend of your local garden centre will unlock a world of new and exciting gardening projects which can help physical and mental wellbeing. So please as we look forward to a lightening of restrictions, support them and tap into their knowledge and passion to help your own garden. In the meantime, many are trying innovative ways to get bedding plants and veg out to customers, via deliveries or pick-ups, while remaining closed.
If you have not gardened before, try this… put an order into your local garden centre for a grow bag, three tomato plants and a bottle of tomato food. Just add sunlight and water and you’ll grow tangy, juicy, tasty and healthy tomatoes; perfect for a breakfast fry up, to add zing to a cheese sandwich or the ideal addition for pizzas and pasta. Or, a simple packet of cress seeds sprinkled on to damp kitchen paper on a sunny windowsill will soon germinate – ideal to add to a toasted scrambled egg sandwich.
To support your garden centre, start by following their Facebook page for updates, ideas and advice. Find your local outlet via the Garden Centre association (gca.org.uk).
● David Domoney is a leading horticulturist and star of ITV’s LoveYour Garden