Gardening with the environment in mind

Everyone has opportunity to make a positive impact, something that seems small such as a window box full of pollinator-friendly flowers will have an effect. There are about 30 million gardeners in the UK, and this has amazing potential if we all take a step in a greener direction. The total area of our gardens put together is more than half a million hectares – about the size of Norfolk!

 

Extreme weather events related to climate change such as floods and heatwaves are increasingly likely to affect you and your loved ones so it is important we all play a part in improving the outlook for our planet.

 

Plant a hedge or a tree in your front garden and you'll benefit from reduced pollution and noise. These plants can also bring in birds, bees and a host of wildlife.

 

Plants such as ivy can not only help keep your house cooler in summer but also warmer in winter, while trees and hedges reduce flood risks, capture carbon from the air and produce oxygen.

 

Healthy soil can lock in lots of carbon too, helping keep it out of the atmosphere.

 

Environmentally-friendly gardening is all about working with nature rather than against it. Spending a bit of time selecting the right plant for the right place and for the right purpose will create a thriving garden, saving you lots of time and effort in the long run.

Nature is incredibly powerful and great at regenerating itself; simple steps like taking a more relaxed approach to cutting your lawn will bring in a whole host of wildlife and some surprising wildflowers too.

 

About 30% of our food relies directly on insect pollination. Wipe out the pollinators and no more strawberries, apples, raspberries... We need healthy, resilient natural ecosystems to help support a healthy, resilient food system.

 

You can check out our plants for pollinators display from Spring to Autumn, keep an eye out for the RHS Bee logo to identify great pollinator friendly plants for your garden.