JULIET SARGEANT

The Chelsea Flower Show gold-medal winner says soil is vital to fight climate change. Here, she advises how to create a stylish, sustainable urban garden

Juliet Sargeant has been green-fingered since her mother gave her a corner of their garden to call her own when she was seven years old. She remembers syphoning bath water out of the bathroom window to grow tomatoes in the heatwave of 1976. She says, ‘We had the most fabulous tomatoes that summer. That early success spurred me on!’ She won a gold medal at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show for the Modern Slavery Garden and, this year, she’s making soil the star of the new Blue Peter Garden, which, after its debut at Chelsea, will find a permanent home at RHS Bridgewater in Salford.

Tell us about the Blue Peter Garden you designed for the 2022 Chelsea Flower Show?

The Blue Peter Garden is for children, but I didn’t just want to do a ‘play’ garden – play, of course, is important, but I wanted to do something about climate change. There is a seriousness to many children; as a generation, their future is far from carefree. With this garden, we will be celebrating soil; raising it up to eye level and taking the visitor down to see, smell and hear it. You will be invited to think about the science of soil, the beauty of soil; its life and fragility and its future.

Why do you think soil is important and why have you focused on it in the design?

Soil is the forgotten environmental crisis and I thought, ‘If you can’t talk about soil at an RHS show, where can you?’ Usually, at the show, you see lots of beautiful planting but not soil. I set myself a challenge to reveal its story, which lies hidden most of the time. People don’t always realise soil is alive. It’s got microbes and minibeasts and they need moisture and air. If we pave over our gardens, then the soil dies.

What’s the one thing we can all do to help combat climate change?

It’s so important to plant trees; they are crucial for biodiversity, cleaning the air and knitting the soil with their roots. Not everybody has space, but covering the soil, not leaving it vulnerable to wind and water, is something anyone can do. I recommend shrubs trained onto a single stem but without the large root system that trees have. Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’ is a robust, versatile architectural shrub that’s evergreen and has a lovely flower and berry. If you’ve got very light, poor soil, the grass family are plants that establish and run their roots through the soil, holding it together.

Are there any gardening trends you’ve observed emerging at Chelsea?

It’s been gathering momentum for the last few years, but this show in particular is all about the contribution gardeners can make to looking after the planet. People now realise, ‘My little plot can make a difference – I can do something positive.’ It’s not only good for you, but you are doing your bit to cool the urban environment and help everybody breathe a little bit more fresh air. It all adds up. julietsargeant.com

‘MY PLOT CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE – I CAN DO SOMETHING POSITIVE’