Hartley Magazine

All the latest news, hints, tips and advice from our experts

Anybody can be a gardener

The last few years has seen a sharp increase in the number of people looking towards cultivating their own produce in a greenspace that is either theirs or a communal piece of land.

There likely to be a number of reasons for this, one of which is the fact that more people are striving to eat more healthily and growing your own produce can help this. After an initial outlay in cost it is also a relatively cheap alternative to buying certain foods, which is likely to be another contributing factor.

Both of these reasons center around the fact that gardening is available to anyone, whether they have greenspace or not, that is according to public relations manager at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Alan Jaffe.

Mr Jaffe said that people can do any type of gardening that is right for the space they have available to them.

Indeed, he recommended that people wanting to get started in the garden should read up as to what sorts of plants and vegetables they may grow.

It is also best to take into account how much sunlight or shade the greenspace gets and whether you are living in an urban environment, as these factors will have a contributing effect as to what plants are grown.

Mr Jaffe also suggested that it could be in the best interests of people just getting into gardening to head to flower and gardening rep shows to pick the brains of people who may be more experienced that you.

“One of the main purposes of a flower show is for people to go home and use ideas they see in their own homes and gardens,” he remarked.

“They emphasise the use of container plants, green roofs and green walls – which is a very important trend for people who are living in an urban environment and can’t always build across, out or horizontally,” he continued.

One such show event that people will find useful in attending will be the Philadelphia International Flower Show, which will be taking place in March.

It is run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society – a non-profit membership organisation founded in 1827 that provides events, activities and publications for novice gardeners and flower lovers of all ages. And will run a number of informative demonstrations and guest lectures for any would-be horticulturists meaning that everyone of all abilities will be catered for throughout the few days.