Gardening for Good: in community gardens, at school, at home and in green spaces

by Rowena Hughes

In another instalment of incredible inspiration, Rowena takes us on a tour around the growing interest in community gardens within and beyond Reading.

The RHS Hampton Court Flower Show in July 2024 celebrated the benefits of plants and green spaces for wellbeing and building communities, as well as for wildlife and the environment. The festival theme – Gardening for Good – was illustrated by the RHS feature gardens, such as the Adventure Within garden which highlighted the wellbeing impact of gardening, and particularly by the Britain in Bloom 60th anniversary garden and RHS allotments.

Community gardens are especially good for promoting wellbeing, by encouraging physical exercise, engaging with nature and making new friends. This was illustrated by the Bloom Garden which celebrated 60 years of Britain in Bloom, probably the largest community garden organization in the world. Friendship through gardening was a central theme of the Bloom garden, exemplified by the fellowship arch, a glass sculpture representing how individuals, like leaves, come together to make a community. Biodiversity is also important, illustrated by wild-flower plantings for insects in the meadow area and the intermingling of vegetables and flowers in the allotment tubs.

Wild-flower planting encourages insects, including solitary bees and honey bees

Planting flowers among vegetables encourages pollinators

Gardening both transforms and enriches communities. This can start in school, as illustrated by Bagshot Infant School whose RHS allotment garden included a novel use of a pallet to create a herb garden – complete with a solar-powered watering system. They also grow a wide range of fruit and vegetable which they eat raw or make into chutney, jams and pickles.

A pallet makes a good set of shelves for herb if placed in a sunny position

Another allotment garden, built by NHS staff and members of Arthritis Action in Portsmouth, demonstrated how with some adaptations and specially designed tools, gardening can help people living with arthritis. The specially designed hand tools made weeding and planting easier, while pots inset into the work table enabled gardeners to sit down while gardening and encourages everyone to chat while they garden.

Urban areas with limited green areas especially benefit from greening up spaces, an aim of the innovative urban farm, Cultivate London. This organization works with local community groups at several sites across west London to engage communities in growing food. As illustrated by their RHS allotment, they have created green spaces, including an urban orchard, amongst the blocks of flats where many residents live.

Growing fruit and vegetables in a built-up urban area encourages people to think about fresh produce

Climate change may change what we can grow in our gardens, but the power of plants and flowers to enrich our lives remains important to all communities. Encouraging people to grow and enjoy plants at home, school, in the workplace and in the community sows seeds for the future.

Planting flowers among vegetables encourages pollinators