This morning I felt a bit down about something, I sat watching TV and my Mum said “you need to ‘practice what you preach’, you need to go outside into the garden“. I didn’t particularly want to, to be honest as I just felt a bit empty inside, but I did go out in to the garden, with a cup of tea in my hand and I went up into my treehouse (more like, 2 planks of wood stuck in the tree, with a ladder going up!).

I went up there and just started doing stuff like building things and I stayed up there for 5 hours in the end! It’s true what they say, time flies when you’re having fun. I really enjoyed it, every worry disappeared out of my head and later with a hot chocolate, I sat there listening and watching the birds and it really cheered me up.

At last a bit of gardening

At last the weather has been a bit kinder, so me and my Dad got out into the garden to do a bit of clearing up and maintenance. As I mentioned, I also spent a bit of time rejigging my treehouse.

Chives

Time out for a brew

Sedum seed heads

Our gardening companion, Buddy

Brew time

Dad, vermin-proofing the new compost bin

Primrose

News from the RHS Campaign for School Gardening

The RHS Campaign for School Gardening launched a new project this week, called, I Can Grow. The project is a chance for young people, like me, to

discover and explore the benefits of gardening, not only to them, but also to their local community and the wider world. I Can Grow is designed to empower young people, allowing them to create a campaign, using plants, to shout about the environmental and social issues they believe in.

I like the idea of the project as it’s to be led by young people for young people, to encourage us to think how we could use plants to solve a problem or support a cause that means something to us, using one or more of the following themes.

1. The food on my plate – for me, the most joy I get when growing my own fruit/veg is the first stages of life, when the bud comes out of the soil, it makes me feel excited and fills me with happiness. Then, when you are eating say your roast dinner you can think, I grew that, I watched it grow, I harvested it and now I get to eat it. Growing your own produce is a lovely social activity too; you can do it at school or perhaps a community allotment and you get to know people, chat and have a right laugh, whilst you’re working! Here’s some spring gardening tips
2. In a changing climate – I’ve wrote lots about this recently, including my blog about gardening in a changing climate. For me, one of the biggest things I’m trying hard to do, is reduce the amount of plastics we use and raise awareness about it too. Together we can make a difference if everyone plays a part and does their little bit #SmallSteps
3. A happy place – I’ve wrote about it before, about how gardening can make you feel free. When you plant a seed, you plant happiness, it makes you feel happy and healthy. I planted a cactus seed recently, something I’ve never grown before and when the first shoot appeared, my heart just lifted, I was so happy and exhilarated – it’s still diddy, so let’s not get too carried away!! Gardening is great for you physically too, our garden is on a steep slope, so we’re up and down our garden steps, digging, pushing the wheelbarrow, etc.. it certainly makes your heart pound!
4. For wildlife – well I’m a biggie for that. Take today we’ve seen a bird, we think it was a dunnock or a wren going in and out of the ivy and it’s just great that it’s made its home in our garden. With bats in the roof, it’s a great feeling sharing our home and garden with lots of wildlife. As the clocks sprung forward this weekend the garden appears to be alive with wildlife at the moment; have a think what you can do to encourage more wildlife into your garden.

So why not sign up and get your free ‘I CAN GROW’ inspiration pack 

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show

I’m so excited to let you know that I’m going to be one of the judges in the Grow Green Planters Competition at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show The competition is all about gardening and recycling, I think you all know by now that I love Chatsworth House and I love RHS Flower Shows, so what a perfect combo!

I went 3 times to the first ever RHS Chatsworth Flower Show last year, where I:

1. Filmed for Gardeners’ World with presenter Adam Frost
2. Was ‘blown away’ (literally) on Press Day
3. Enjoyed the show with my family

Being part of the second flower show will be brilliant, it will be something I’ll always look back on and think, ‘I was part of that!’ If your gardening group fancies being a part of it too, here’s the entry form, you have until 6th April to apply.

My #GrowThisSpring poem

The RHS challenged me this week to write a poem inspired by spring, to celebrate #WorldPoetryDay. So, my Mum made me a cup of tea and I wrote this…..

Here it is, written out too….

The green seeps through the brown, giving the earth a fresh new down. The skies lighten and days long, the birds start to sing their morning song.

The jewels of grass shine in the light, twigs and wool fly past despite. The rain falls down to the muddy ground, giving us a familiar sound.

Wellies on and off we go, listening to the river gently flow. A dipper, dipping by the water’s edge, a flustered wren  going in and out of a hedge.

Up the steps and up the path, the flight of a song thrush caught having a bath. Daffodils shining like the hidden sun, the hare in the field having a run.

The hopeful watering can not in use, the evergreen shrubs who suffered abuse. Sow a seed with a gentle hand, next moment you look, the life expands.

What has inspired you to #GrowThisSpring ????

Plastic Pollution update

I tweeted recently about the amount of plastic pollution in my local river, I’ve also mentioned in the past about how my school canteen use lots of plastic, anyway I got the chance to speak to my new Head Teacher about this. She said she’s making it her mission to make the school more greener and has already spoken to the people who take the rubbish away so that the school can recycle better. She’s also changed all the outside lights to LED and personally checks all the computer screens and projectors are off in each classroom every time she locks up #SmallSteps

I’m having a break from my blog for a couple of weeks, but I’ll still be posting on my Facebook page, tweeting on Twitter and being daft on my Instagram account.

I hope you have a Happy Easter and feel inspired to get out and #GrowThisSpring