National Gardening Week

Are you ready for a week of gardening fun? From 1–7 May the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) will be celebrating gardening across the United Kingdom as it’s National Gardening Week.

The theme for this year is ‘create your Coronation container’ to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, who loves planting and growing. The King is known as a champion of the environment and supporter of gardening, so it’s a great way to mark the beginning of his reign.

Gardening is Good!

Planting and growing things is obviously good for the environment, but research has also proved that it’s good for our physical health and mental well-being too. Some studies have shown that gardening can help reduce stress, depression and anxiety. It’s also a great way to learn about the environment and the importance of sustainability (that means looking after the planet to make sure there will be enough resources for future generations).

It’s really simple to get involved and create your own colourful Coronation container. You can create your display in whatever space you have available. It could be a window box, a hanging basket or even an old pair of wellies! Old, chipped mugs or broken pans would also work too.

Delphinium

If you don’t have a garden, you could ask grandparents or other friends or family whether you can create a container with them in their garden. Or how about creating one at school or church? Ask your teachers or church leaders!

Bursts of Colour

The key to creating your Coronation container is adding plenty of colour – it’s a celebration after all! Your family can add instant colour to a container by buying small, seasonal plants from a shop. Many supermarkets even sell them.

If you want to honour the new King and Queen Consort, King Charles’s favourite ower is the delphinium and Queen Camilla loves Alchemilla mollis – a type of crocus known as lady’s mantle. So you could plant those in your container!

Put some potting compost at the bottom of the container.