Advice for tree planting, autumn resources and more!
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Bringing COP26 to life in the school garden
To highlight the importance of COP26, our Community Outreach team have been working with six secondary schools in Glasgow to help young people learn about sustainability through urban green space design.
Often, the traditional approach to growing and maintaining street planting is not sustainable due to the choice of plants, growing media and water use. We set the six schools involved with our COP26 project the challenge of creating an environmentally friendly planter that focuses on a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of their choosing.
Through their own research, students have been learning more about the power of plants, sustainable gardening practices and how the SDGs can easily be linked to a wide variety of projects. Their completed planters will take pride of place at the schools, encouraging others to think about the ways they can be more sustainable and how plants and gardening can be part of a community led solution to help mitigate the climate crisis.
"The project connects the children emotionally to our school and our garden, and so connects them to the environment they live in. It helps them to take notice and care. That to me is what sustainability is all about"
Lorna MacKenzie, Abercorn Secondary School
Top tips for planting trees
November is tree planting season! Planting trees in the late autumn, when there is moisture and warmth in the soil, encourages root development and the lower light levels slow down the vegetative top growth (leaves and shoots), allowing the roots to establish well. Remember to do some research about which trees are best suited to your local environment before you start planting.
How to plant trees
Our detailed resource provides all you need to know about the equipment you'll need, preparation, and how to keep your tree healthy as it grows.
Watch our tree planting video
For a visual guide to planting trees, watch our video for with top tips and advice straight from our experts at RHS Garden Wisley.
Beautiful bunting
There's no better time of year to bring together crafts and leaves than autumn. To celebrate the beautiful colour changes happening in nature, we've created two new bunting resources to help you bring the outside in.
Autumn leaf bunting
Collect some fallen autumn leaves from your local area to create a beautiful and seasonal display. This is a fun and easy activity that will get your children outside learning about trees, leaves and changing seasons.
Painted leaf bunting
Use paint to create a vibrant bunting display for your classroom. Why not challenge your students to create bunting in your school's colours, or using as many different seasonal leaves as they can find?
Upcoming training courses
You can now book a place on our spring and summer 2022 training courses!
Held nationally, our in-person training courses are designed to build your confidence and gardening skills, support your gardening club to thrive all year and help you create a productive edible garden.
Explore our courses now to book your place, with additional dates and locations being added over the coming weeks.
Jobs for November
This month, take time to winter-proof your garden, ensuring that any tools you have finished using are safely stored away and over wintering crops are covered with fleece or cloches.
Explore more tasks with our top ten jobs for the month.
