You, too, can breathe life into the city...
Parks have long been described the ‘lungs of the city’, but with climate change never far from the headlines, town and city dwellers – and that’s 80% of us - can play our part in breathing life into the urban landscape. And gardens, however small, can make a very big difference.
So what can I do?
If you want to know how to play a part in this, look no further than the urban greening area of the RHS Experience at the Chelsea Flower Show. Sounds a bit scientific and technical? It isn’t.
This interactive area will show visitors that collectively, they can make more of a difference to their environment than they might imagine. Principal horticultural advisor Leigh Hunt explains: ‘From cooling the air in summer to preventing flooding, gardens really matter. While many of us only have a small plot of land, if we all get planting, the benefits add up for us all.’
Invite wildlife into your garden
Interactive displays will show visitors exactly what they can do. The biodiversity exhibit will focus on the huge range of plants, insects and animals that could find a home in anyone’s garden, given an open invitation and the right conditions.
There’s nothing complex about this; it simply means providing plants for insects to feed upon and a few nooks and crannies for shelter. Which plants will attract insects? Just scan the electronic tag on one of the plants in the display and you’ll see on an interactive screen which insect is likely to come flying or crawling to a neighbourhood near you.
Try planting a green roof
Leigh explains: ‘We don’t just need plants to encourage wildlife, they can make cities and town better places to live, as well. They trap pollutants and give off moisture that helps cool the air in urban areas.’
RHS research has found that green roofs, the focus of another part of the exhibit, could be instrumental in helping preventing flooding and cool the urban atmosphere. In this interactive display, see a selection of plants suitable for planting on green roofs. The message? Even in the tiniest urban gardens there’s room for a little piece of nature to take root.
Fill in our quick survey on town and city gardening and you could win one of five RHS Encyclopedias of Garden Design.