The Duchess of Cambridge has teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to publish activity cards to inspire children to get involved with gardens and nature.
Guides to creating fairy gardens, welly planters, leaf wands, a bug hotel and painted pebbles take inspiration from the RHS Back to Nature garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show which was co-designed by the duchess.
The series of five step-by-step guides, which include reusing old toys and boots and creating miniature scenes from the imagination, are designed to be low cost and do not require access to a private garden.
They take inspiration from the woodland garden at the world-famous horticultural event, which has a tree house, waterfall, rustic den, campfire and a hollow log for children to play on, and aims to help them “add a touch of Chelsea magic to their own homes”, the RHS said.
Kate has said she hopes the space will inspire families “to get outside” and “enjoy nature”, as being active outdoors has huge benefits on physical and mental well-being, especially for young children.
Alana Cama, schools and groups programme manager at the RHS, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to create a series of resources with the Duchess of Cambridge.
It’s a gold for The Resilience Garden designed by Sarah Eberle and built by @crocusCoUk at #RHSChelsea!
Commissioned to celebrate @ForestryComm’s centenary, the garden looks ahead to the challenges facing forests of the future https://t.co/hw8wJqWq5S pic.twitter.com/huLhhyVdK1
— The RHS (@The_RHS) May 21, 2019
“Children can now take home a slice of the magical RHS Back to Nature Garden and create special memories with their families in the process.”
The Back to Nature garden is a display for the RHS and is not judged as part of the show, but the awards for other gardens have been announced.
Among the show gardens securing a prestigious gold medal is the Resilience Garden, which marks 100 years of the Forestry Commission and includes woodland, dry and damp zones, a pond and wildflower meadow.
The garden, created by Sarah Eberle, looks ahead to the threats facing woods of the future – including climate change and pests and diseases.
The M&G garden, the Morgan Stanley garden and the Welcome to Yorkshire garden also secured gold medals for show gardens.
The @CAMFED Garden: Giving Girls In Africa a Space to Grow gets a gold!
Discover the garden that’s bringing Zimbabwe to the heart of Chelsea to support the education of women and girls in Africa: https://t.co/1OVqrphDgt pic.twitter.com/Ee8qlLzU0C
— The RHS (@The_RHS) May 21, 2019
Receiving gold for “space to grow” gardens, are Kampo no Niwa, Viking Cruises: The Art of Viking garden, The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden, The Camfed Garden: Giving Girls in Africa a Space to Grow, and the Facebook: Beyond the Screen garden.
Among the artisan gardens, those securing the top gong are the Family Monsters garden, The High Maintenance garden for Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Green Switch garden.