Calling all green gardeners
We've picked the brains of some of the show's garden designers to find out what they think should be a gardener’s number one priority when it comes to going green.
Right plant, right place
The undisputed number one tip for greener gardening, is right plant, right place.
Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd (The Daily Telegraph Garden) says: “It is the site that dictates it all. In both my own garden and gardens for clients, I like working with nature rather than against it. I try to use plants that don’t need much maintenance, and never suggest plants that are unsuited to the pH or conditions of the garden.”
Save and recycle water
Water features strongly in A Cadogan Garden and designer Robert Myers cites recycling grey water for watering as one of his top environmentally-responsible gardening tips.
Compost waste
Geoff Whiten (Real Life by Brett) says: “Composting is something that everyone can do to help the environment, and that compost can then be used to help your garden grow. Get the soil right and the rest will follow – it’s the perfect example of recycling and reusing.”
Re-use and recycle
Adam Woolcott and Jonathan Smith (The Good Gifts Garden) say: “Use as many reclaimed materials in the garden as you can, especially hard landscaping materials. Old bricks and paving slabs always look better than new ones!”
Go local
Sue Hayward (Motor Neurone Disease – Shetland Croft House Garden) says: “Try to support local nurseries where they produce their own plants. The plants are often hardier and have more ‘character’. The plants possess no airmiles, and don’t have imported, unfamiliar pest, disease and weed problems attached to them.”
Other top eco-friendly tips include:
- Design for wildlife
- Reduce paving
- Shred waste materials
- Go organic
- Mulch