The garden that might drive you up the wall
. . . but is good for body and soul
DRAWING on her own upbringing, the Duchess of Cambridge has designed a Back To Nature garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show next week.
It’s got people talking about the positive effects of plants on physical and mental wellbeing, and how wild plantings may offer a way back to the magic we felt as children at play in nature.
With the broader theme of this year’s show being combating environmental challenges, and with London soon to become a National Park City, interior designers and home occupants are taking note.
But how best to bring that green goodness into the home without creating a costly mess?
Let’s start with the basics (beside shelter) — food. Don’t fret if you struggle to grow herbs, let alone a vegetable garden outdoors. The Scandis lead the way when it comes to growing edibles indoors. Ikea offers stylish hydroponic kits — that is, growing trays that don’t require soil.
Popular on Instagram are the Krydda Vaxer ranges (from £64.50, ikea.com), with built-in lamps that avoid the need for sun exposure.
Building on the range’s success, Ikea announced a partnership with British design star Tom Dixon. They will share their first ideas for the urban farming collection, which aims to encourage people to grow food at home, at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show. Products will hit stores in 2021.
‘You may be surprised by the range of plants you can grow indoors,’ says Neil Whitehead, founder of Seed Pantry, whose Grow Pod range (from £69.99,
seedpantry.co.uk) features both built-in lamps and reservoirs that hold two weeks’ worth of water.
‘From lettuce and tomatoes, to lemongrass and chilli peppers, most of the produce you find in supermarkets can be grown this way, and the result tastes fabulous compared to what’s been trucked around for days. It also grows 30 to 50 per cent faster than if planted outdoors in soil.’
As for non- edible houseplants, the benefits are clear: in the Eighties, NASA discovered that peace lilies are the most efficient plant for removing air pollutants.
What’s changed of late is the prevalence of these plants due to increased pollution from both outside sources (notably vehicle exhaust), as well as inside ones (decorating, furnishing and cleaning products, for example). The RHS ( rhs.org.uk) reports that houseplant sales are up more than 50 per cent year-on-year.
Increasingly popular are Boston ferns, which not only absorb pollutants, but restore moisture to the air, and Mother-inlaw’s Tongue or ‘ the bedroom plant’, which gives off oxygen at night.
And the advantages of indoor plants aren’t limited to air quality: there are significant psychological benefits, too, says Matt Keightley, a designer who works closely with the RHS.
‘For older people in particular, the nostalgia of certain scents can be profoundly beneficial,’ he adds. ‘The smell of rosemary takes me straight back to my childhood.’
THE more adventurous may consider upgrading to a lush living wall in their home. You might have seen these in smart restaurants or head office buildings.
It can be an extra chore to provide appropriate light, irrigation, plant trimming and pest control.
However, innovations are occurring on at least two fronts. There are now automated lighting and irrigation systems, plus hardier, self-maintaining plant combinations such as mosses that still look good.
What’s more, you can outsource all the maintenance and rent these
installations, reducing the cost of ownership.
‘For £200 a month, we can take it all on,’ says Jack Haslam, of designbuild company Meristem Design ( meristemdesign.co.uk), which specialises in living walls. ‘We’ll come in every month and make sure that everything stays healthy and beautiful.’
For those not ready to bring the whole garden indoors, there are transitional options.
‘Greening a courtyard or a patio can be a great initial step,’ says Sam McNally of design studio Echlin ( echlinlondon.com).
‘It can create a viewable winter garden that might turn into a lovely indoor-outdoor space during summer months.’
Matt Keightley says, ultimately, the key is ‘to have fun and not to make it some great eco-chore’.
The Duchess of Cambridge has added a treehouse to her Chelsea Flower Show design, along with a stream that lends itself to playing the beloved childhood game Poohsticks invented by author A. A. Milne.
‘It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine,’ as Eeyore put it.