Garden greenspace in the capital has been lost at a rate of two and a half Hyde Parks per year, according to London Wildlife Trust. Not even an unpopular white elephant like the Garden Bridge project was ever going to reverse that trend. But we can fight back in a green-fingered small act of rebellion, by creating our own gardens in whatever space we have.
Small-space gardens can sit on windowsills or balconies, and they work just as well indoors. As long as you ensure that your garden gets enough sunlight, you can grow just about anything inside.
Unsurprisingly, there are also several health, wealth and happiness benefits too:
- Indoor planting creates better air circulation in your home and the smells of the herbs and plants will be heavenly. Plants improve our air quality by filtering toxins that get trapped indoors; a natural air freshener.
- Research in environmental psychology has shown that a connection with plants improves human mental wellbeing as well as productivity levels.
- People living in rural areas are shown to have better microbes than city-dwellers. So, dust off your trowel and bring the outside in to do your microbiome some good.
- An indoor garden can provide you with fresh kitchen ingredients. Herbs, salads and some veg are not hard to manage in a small urban kitchen. Save your pennies from the overpriced herbs at the supermarket when you grow your own.
- The satisfaction of growing, nurturing and harvesting a garden – whatever its scale – is hugely satisfying and brings a great deal of relaxation and joy to many.
- Connecting with nature and understanding how sun and seasons affect plant life gives us a deeper understanding of our environment in a very tangible way.
If you have limited space and not yet a green thumb, you can still create a beautiful garden. Unlike full-sized gardens, you will find maintaining your small-space garden a breeze.
We have added eight brand-new Gardening Workshops to our schedule that are ideal for flat-dwelling Londoners.
The workshops can be booked individually or you can attend all of them and jump start your gardening summer glory. Every session includes planting up a pot of seasonal plants to accompany the subjects covered in the class and is for you to take home and tend with loving care.
