The RHS has a list of 10 ways to be more sustainable in your garden so I thought I would review how I was doing in relation to their criteria.
1. Plant a tree
RHS: Trees are brilliant at drawing down carbon from the atmosphere. If all 30 million UK gardeners planted a medium-sized tree in their community, school, workplace or garden and nurtured it to maturity, they would store enough carbon equivalent to drive you more than 11 million times around our planet.
In my garden I have had two medium sized trees planted – Paulownia tormentosa (foxglove tree) and Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree). I have had an existing good-sized holly tree removed as it hadn’t been happy for some years. I will be planting 5 small trees in the area left by the removal of the holly tree.
2. Water the way nature intended
RHS: Switch from mains to rains in your garden to save carbon. Use a water butt containing water that falls onto your roof instead of turning on a tap from the mains supply, or use a watering can instead of a hosepipe.
I currently have 11 water butts – 5 by my large shed, 4 by the greenhouse and 2 by my small shed. The ones by the large shed and greenhouse are used to provide all the water for my raised vegetable and fruit beds and the plants within the greenhouse itself. The water butts by the small shed are used to water the pots on my patio. I only water plants in pots and plants in the raised beds. I only plant new plants in the garden in early spring and the autumn to enable the rain to do most of my watering for me. The only time I use the hosepipe is to top up the pond in the summer months if required.
In the area that I am redesigning this winter to include a gazebo, I am having difficulty in finding a gazebo or summerhouse that you can attach guttering and water butts to. I am finding it frustrating that so many of the designs aren’t suitable for collecting rainwater. It would be good if these structures came with guttering as standard.
3. Go peat-free
RHS: Peatlands are the world’s largest carbon store on land. They provide valuable ecosystems for plants and animals and act like sponges, reducing the risk of flooding. When we take peat for out gardens, carbon is released and habitats are damaged. Keeping peat in bogs (not bags) is a crucial part of the fight against climate change. Our planet’s billions of acres of peat hold more carbon than all the world’s forests combined.
I try to purchase peat-free compost. I particularly like Dalefoot composts which are 100% peat-free and soil association approved. Their composts are sustainably made from renewable, natural ingredients on their farm in the Lake District. Going forward it would be nice if there was a way of buying compost from garden centres that didn’t come in plastic bags.
4. Make your own compost
RHS: Carbon saving quantities linked to home composting (as opposed to buying bagged retail compost) are equivalent to 1.85 miles (driven by average car) saved per kg of home compost made. Every 1kg of homemade compost saves 0.1kg fossil carbon, which could save more than 15 – 19kg carbon, per gardener, per year.
I currently have 13 wooden compost bins and 1 wire bin for leaf mould. One of the best books I purchased is called “Let it rot! – the gardener’s guide to composting” by Stu Campbell which tells you everything you could possibly need to know about compost – the science behind it, compostable material and what not to compost, what containers are suitable, and how to use the end product. I think this book should form part of any gardeners library and it is one of the few books that I would recommend to any beginner.
5. Pull up a paving slab
RHS Garden soils and perennial plantings play an important role in storing carbon. If 30 million gardeners pulled up a paver and planted 1m2 of perennial plants (either herbaceous, shrubs or trees) in their community, school, workplace or garden and allowed it to develop to maturity, depending on the plants grown this would be equivalent to heating between 86,000 to more than one million homes for a year.
The current size of the patio and paving area in the back garden is less than a quarter of the size it was when I moved in. The front area used to be all paved over and you could easily have parked more than 10 cars on it. Now it has parking for 3 cars and the rest is planted with shrubs and spring bulbs.
6. Plants for pollinators
RHS: Pollinators need our help. Loss of habitat is one of the main reasons why we see fewer bees, butterflies and other insects visiting our gardens. Help slow and reverse the declines in bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies and other pollinators by growing a wide variety of plants including a mixture of native, near-native and exotic plants to support pollinator diversity.
The wildflower meadow in my garden is a great area for pollinators and since introducing it I have seen a significant increase in them. I try to have something in flower all year round for the pollinators. I prefer single, open flowers to double flowers which has the added benefit of being more attractive to pollinators who find them easier to access the pollen.
7. Grow your own bunch of flowers
RHS: Some imported flowers have up to 10 times the carbon footprint of home or UK-grown bouquets. Growing or buying UK-grown cut flowers can save up to 7.9kg carbon per bunch compared with buying some imported bunches.
I very rarely buy cut flowers – usually only once or twice in January / February time would I buy daffodils just to add some cheer to the house.
8. Electrify you garden
RHS: An average petrol power tool emits 0.848kg carbon per litre of petrol used. It’s not only carbon, they emit harmful particulate and noise pollution too. If the 21% of UK gardeners who use power tools switched from fossil fuel to green energy electric-powered tools, it would save enough carbon equivalent to drive around the planet 29,820 times.
I personally don’t use any petrol powered tools. All my power tools such as lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, are electric powered, mostly battery operated. The company I use to trim my tall conifer hedge do use petrol powered tools though.
9. Help map UK garden plant diversity
RHS: Add your garden plants to RHS My Garden online. Together we can help map UK garden plants, helping to conserve and grow this important biodiversity now and for future generations. So far we have 122,000 users who have added 2.4 million plants consisting of 77,600 different types of cultivated plants.
I haven’t looked at this as yet – perhaps one to do during the dark winter months.
10. Eat more home-grown UK, local and seasonal fruit and vegetables
RHS: Buying locally sourced and home-grown produce can save significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Eat more home-grown UK, local and seasonal fruit and vegetables from local sources or from your own garden or allotment. Growing at home allows you to choose not to use pesticides – another plus for the planet.
In my vegetable area I grow my own garlic, onions, broad beans, peas, climbing beans, dwarf beans, asparagus, raspberries. In the greenhouse I grow tomatoes, sweet peppers, chillies and melons. I also have a few dwarf fruit trees of cherry, pear, apple and plum. I grow various herbs around the garden including rosemary, mint, thyme, parsley, lemon verbena, tarragon, with basil and coriander in the summer. This year I am also trying out oka, sweetcorn, artichoke and rocket and next year I hope to try growing turnip and swede.
