MORE and more research is pointing to the benefits of gardening for mental health.
Which comes as absolutely no surprise at all to legendary DJ Jo Whiley.
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She’s joined forces with Monty Don for his first ever Show Garden at Chelsea Flower Show – along with 25,000 BBC Radio 2 listeners.
Kicking off on Monday, the ‘The RHS and Radio 2 Dog Garden’ isn’t the average outside space usually seen at the swanky show – where tickets regularly change hands for £137 a head.
Instead it’s a celebration of man’s best friend.
There’s a normal lawn for the canines to roll on, a dog house with a battered old sofa, a stream for ‘wallowing’ – and it’s filled with daisies, dandelions and clover.
Plus there will be a TV screen showing all the Radio 2 listeners’ dog photos that they sent in to Jo’s evening radio show – after around 25,000 submitted pictures.
Speaking exclusively to Sun Gardening, Jo said: “My garden makes me happy when I’m sad, it gives me something to do when I’m really stressed and angry.
“And it brings me a lot of joy when I’m with my dogs in the garden.
“When my boss told me that Radio 2 were doing a garden at Chelsea with Monty Don – and they wanted me to be involved, I nearly fell off my chair.
“It’s been so exciting to work alongside garden designer Jamie Butterworth as well – he’s got such a great reputation, deservedly so.
“They’re the dream team, they really are, Monty and Jamie.
“I went to Chelsea last week and saw the trees actually going in, and saw the dog house that had been built.
“And then last night, they sent me some photographs with all the plants in, and it’s mind-blowing. Honestly, the colour scheme, the tones, it’s so beautiful.”
The mum-of-four, 59, added: “Growing up, my mum and my granddad were both into gardening, and then throughout my life I’ve been really heavily invested in every garden that I’ve had.
“I used to go to open gardens as my source of inspiration. I’d see what people were doing there, and I’d take photographs, and then I’d go and buy those plants and put them in my garden.
“But now there’s these amazing, inspiring gardeners on Instagram, and you can learn so much.
“I think this is a really brilliant time to be able to get into gardening.”
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Jo added: “My garden is probably more cottage than anything. So it’s quite big and blousy, and I’ve got very deep borders, so obviously I’m just constantly throwing plants and money at it all the time.
“Peonies are undoubtedly the most spectacular, beautiful things.
“But then I also really like the humble geranium, because they will give you so much colour for so much of the summer, and there are so many different varieties. I think they’re fantastic, absolutely fantastic”
You can currently get Geranium for just £3.99 from Gardening Express.
She added: “Penstemon are also really good because they last forever.
“But I’m also developing a Woodland area and I’m so enjoying that. I’m beginning to appreciate the different leaves and textures and the colors, like ferns and hellebores.
“Chelsea, I suppose, is the Glastonbury of the horticultural world, isn’t it? It’s the main event, where everyone really gets to show off all their talent and innovations. .
“It just feels like this amazing ceremony – a real celebration of gardening.”
Jo, Monty and Jamie will be on The Scott Mills Breakfast Show which is broadcasting live from RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Monday 19th May from 6.30-9.30am.
Its Time For Chelsea Flower Show
AN APP that helps you talk to trees, stone balancing sculptures, dogs designing gardens and new toilet technology. It can only mean one thing – Chelsea Flower Show is back.
Famed around the world for its extravagant exhibitions and stunning showgardens, tickets go like hotcakes – and they’re also very expensive – with all day tickets upwards of £137.
Thankfully here at Sun Gardening we’re able to preview some of the more interesting show gardens – so you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own outside space.
Tackle HIV Challenging Stigma Garden by Manoj Malde see Statues in tribute to lives lost to HIV, hexagonal paving reflecting a key chemical structure found within many HIV medications while water flows under a bridge, symbolising the transition to a healthy life supported by community.
The Glasshouse Garden by Jo Thompson is made for the participants of The Glasshouse programme – women based in UK prisons who receive horticultural training, employment and resettlement support as they approach the end of their sentence and plan for a successful return to society. A wonderful idea.
The Avanade Intelligent Garden – by Tom Massey – is an urban forest garden designed to support urban trees. It’s equipped with sensors that track tree health – monitoring growth, sap flow, soil conditions, air quality, and weather patterns. But not only that – an app will help you talk to the trees one to one.
Seawilding – by Ryan McMahon, is inspired by the landscape found at Loch Craignish on the west coast of Scotland, home to Seawilding. The garden has a distinctly coastal atmosphere with a salt water pool and pebble beach.
The Garden of the Future, by Matthew Butler and Joshua Parke – showcases some of the inspiring solutions being developed across the world by scientists, innovators and growers in the face of climate change. More importantly, it features the Cranfield Circular Toilet – which converts human waste to benefit your garden.
Babylon Beats designed by James Whiting of Plants by There and The Little Botanical reimagines the Hanging Gardens of Babylon through a 1980s lens – and houseplants – looks bonkers but brilliant.
Stone Balancing It looks crazy, but its amazing – with sculptor Adrian Gray bringing a three boulder balance to the show.
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