National Gardening Week | Essex retirement village shares Spring gardening tips
This year, National Gardening Week 2025 is between 28th April – 4th May! With the beginning of May fast approaching, our Essex retirement village thought we’d take a closer look at the joys of springtime gardening and share a few tips and activities that will get your green fingers covered in soil!
What Is National Gardening Week?
The theme for National Gardening Week 2025 is ‘new and beginner gardeners.’ Run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) the week aims to raise awareness of gardening and horticulture, and to encourage more people to take part in the healthy and productive outdoor activity of gardening.
The RHS knows that creating your first outdoor garden or starting out as an indoor ‘plant parent’ can be a daunting experience – and they are keen to support new and curious gardeners as they start their growing journey.
Celebrated since 2012, National Gardening Week has grown in popularity. Each year, people come together to share their love of gardening and plant culture! This week also raises awareness of the impact that gardens and gardening can make to our daily lives. It also helps to inspire the next generation of gardeners to experience the joy of creating beautiful green spaces.
Find out more about the Royal Horticultural Society and how is it championing National Gardening Week here.
Inspiring everyone to grow
With the arrival of the spring season, the warmer weather means it’s the perfect time of year to get outside and enjoy getting back to nature! This National Gardening Week 2025, anyone can get involved! Why not try a couple of these ideas?
Grow a herb patch
During the spring, we’re more inclined to want to eat fresh crunch greenery and leaves! They also accompany sandwiches and burgers from the BBQ really well! Why not grow a little herb garden, full of the fresh salad you love to eat! There’s nothing quite as satisfying as eating home grown produce! Our favourite herbs to grow include chives, chard, parsley, basil, thyme, tarragon, mint and rosemary to name a few!
Enhance fertiliser
If you’re looking for a way to ensure your plants grow like trees, why not enhance the soil they grow in? Collecting eggshells is an easy way to ensure your plants are getting the nutrients they need, plus it’s sustainable! Simply break them up and scatter them over your plant soil.
Grow sunflowers
Sunflowers instantly give any outside space a sunny demeanour, even in springtime showers! At our Essex retirement village, sunflowers are one of our favourite flowers. Why not plant a few with neighbouring residents and see which one grows the highest? Perhaps you can all put £1 into a collection pot and the tallest sunflower grower could win the funds later in the summer!
Create a scene
National Gardening Week is all about getting outside and tending to the garden, however, this doesn’t just have to be plants and flowers! This can also include elements like sand, rock, shells, wood, stones and garden accessories. Why not get outside and create a lovely scene to make a feature of a previously unused space?
What’s on in Essex?
Alongside creating your own gardening activities, there are also a few things going on locally. So, if you’re wondering what’s on in Essex this National Gardening Week 2025, here are some ideas below:
National Flower Show
From Friday 16th – Sunday 18th May it is the National Flower Show. Hylands House and Estate will be filled with inspiration, flowers, plants and everything you need for your home and garden.
Celebrating the very best of our homes and gardens, the 2025 event will be back bigger and better than ever with incredible flower displays inside Hylands House and hundreds of exhibitors selling everything you’ll need to create the perfect outdoor space and heavenly home interiors.
The popular Floral Pavilion is also back for the 2025 show! Plus there will be a new Floral Theme inside Hylands House – this year’s theme is a SAFARI with promises of the best and most creative floral designs ever.
This year, the organisers have invested in more seating and there will be a Plant Creche available - the perfect place to drop off your purchases while you enjoy the rest of the show!
There will be free parking available, and tickets are on sale now!
Find out more about the Hylands House National Flower Show here.
Stowe Garden – National Trust
Just outside of Essex is Stowe Garden in Buckinghamshire. This National Trust vicinity has plenty going on during National Gardening Week! Why not head to the Temple of Venus to discover 'One Man's Treasure' – a special exhibition curated by Stowe Garden’s Assistant Head Gardener, Paul Stefanovic. Here you can explore all of the oddities and treasures found in the gardens over the past 40 years.
Find out more about Stowe Gardens and all that is on offer here.
Explore Burnham Waters
Sounds like a fun-filled week to us! Perhaps you’re looking to move to greener pastures and make the transition to an Essex retirement village? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Simply send us an email at info@burnhamwaters.co.uk, or fill out our contact form for a downloadable brochure.
Located in Burnham-on-Crouch, Burnham Waters is an Essex retirement village for the over 55s, comprising a collection of one, two and three-bedroom retirement bungalows – the first of which are now ready to move in to!
In addition to a collection of new homes, the new village will offer residents access to a host of leisure facilities and amenities, to support an active lifestyle. From an on-site fitness suite, swimming pool and tennis court to a medical centre, shops, cafes and more, there will be plenty on offer.
Explore the amenities on offer at Burnham Waters here.
Explore the lifestyle facilities on offer at Burnham Waters here.
Our Marketing Suite is open daily, 10am – 3pm. Simply call our sales team on 01621 861559 to arrange an appointment.
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