Fresh flowers to doorsteps 
Volunteers brightened up the days of hospice and care home residents, key workers and those isolated in Cheshire, by recognising them with fresh cut flowers throughout the year.

Gardeners from The Wonky Garden in Halton grew as many beautiful, cut-and-come-again blooms as possible, gifting bouquets to unsuspecting recipients.

"To be given a bunch of flowers for no reason, just to make you smile is quite a thing and it brings a lot of happiness," explained co-founder, Angela Hayler.

"We grow edibles and flowers – around 80 per cent are perennials and 20 per cent annuals, and we focus on plants for pollinators and wildlife."

Free mini allotments for all
In a ‘little project with a big impact’, the team at Grow 73 created 'mini allotments' for the community. The kits, gifted 
to more than 100 households, held pollinator-friendly flower and veg seeds and growing instructions. Many first-time gardeners joined-in, more volunteers signed-up and new community connections were made.

"We thought it would be children or families, but a lot of older people who maybe lived on their own were really happy to be part of something they could grow from home but could share with others,” says leader, Eugenie.

The It’s Your Neighbourhood group in Rutherglen, Scotland, also has plans to nurture three disused bowling greens.

Volunteers send free cheer
Stony Stratford in Bloom volunteers  boosted morale by spreading sunflowers this year. The team gifted seeds, complete with growing instructions, to children, and homegrown sunflower pots to those isolating, or to those they felt deserved a show of thanks, during the first lockdown. Gardeners shared pictures of their growing plants, aiming for the tallest sunflower!

The creative bunch also held a virtual plant sale via its Facebook page, with plants donated by volunteers, and the proceeds shared between the group and a food bank. Happy recipients were again supported with growing instructions from the team to make sure plants could thrive.

Saving water at school
The Campaign for School Gardening has seen lots of schools achieving their School Gardening Awards this year in spite of the unusual circumstances.

Countess Anne CofE Primary School in Hertfordshire has been building a sustainable urban drainage system for its Level 5 award! The students have been learning all about water wastage and flooding, and have built a system to collect rainwater to use on their school garden.

See their green reindeer pictured here!

Feeding the community
The London-based Willesden Green Town Team, carried on with gardening throughout the year, but also set up Willesden Mutual Aid Food Bank, feeding many thousands and raising £70,000 for the cause in the process!

The team joined-up with four other groups in the region, many organisations and 200 volunteers to pull off this impressive feat. Together, they provided hot meals for homeless people and families struggling to put food on the table.

Volunteers also planted a pollution-beating hedge outside the community centre used for the food bank activities, with native saplings provided by The Woodland Trust.

A place to meet and reflect 
Friends of Barrington Green, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, wanted to offer a socially-distanced gathering place for the community.

A 'friendship bench' was adorned with seasonal poems. Wordsworth's Daffodil-themed poem, I wandered Lonely As Cloud, was paired with a cheering daffodil display in spring, while Valentine's, VE and Remembrance days were another chance to share fitting poetry.

The friendship bench became a meeting destination during lockdown, a place for children to play, and a weeding spot for those with time and energy to spare.

Thanking key workers in Cumbria​
Copeland’s four towns – Whitehaven, Cleator Moor, Egremont and Millom – showed their support to the NHS and key workers with a series of floral tributes in prominent locations. Hundreds of Lobelia flowers and a rainbow of begonias were planted alongside stone lettering, while the NHS logo was made with a stencil and coloured gravel. 

Bringing people together 
It's Your Neighbourhood group, Crow Wood CIC, got creative sending out activity ideas for families, including for children with special needs.

Volunteers also set up a weekly Big Plant Giveaway outside a local food bank to gift free herb and vegetable plants. "We had brilliant conversations, and were able to inspire people to grow their own, but we also learned from others about growing and cooking with produce," says leader Katy Doncaster.

"We found that with volunteering opportunities shut down, it was really important to be out in the community having face-to-face conversations."

Sharing plants and knowledge
Incredible Edible New Mills, Derbyshire, organised a plant swap in the town's main car park, with plenty of social distancing, of course. Some new gardeners took plants, including for window sills, and a flurry of new members joined the group's Facebook page for advice.

People shared progress of their take- away seedlings, urged on with tips and encouragement by volunteers. 

New community interest led to a new 'Incredible Treadible Walk' of the community gardening spots, with online photos for those not able to get out.

A new year, a new career?
​Have you, or someone you know deepened a passion for gardening during lockdown, and are now considering how to turn this into a career?
The RHS is now recruiting horticultural apprentices, for earn-while-you-learn positions. No prior experience or horticultural qualification is required.

Make a natural Christmas wreath 
Get into the festive spirit with this step-by-step guide to making a Christmas wreath, from the RHS Campaign for School Gardening team.

If you don't have willow, you could use of any bendy, freshly-cut plant stems such as dogwood (Cornus). The lovely vibrant stems could add some extra colour to your wreath, too.

You could even make an edible wreath by using evergreen herbs like rosemary, bay or thyme. Your wreath will look, smell and taste good!

Feed the birds
Making a wreath can be tricky for younger gardeners. If you’re looking for something do with the little ones over the holidays, why not decorate your outdoor space with a festive bird feeder garland?
 
Your garland will support local wildlife while food is in short supply, as well as looking great! Follow this resource from the Campaign for School Gardening.

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