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Hottest garden ideas for 2006
Trendy water collectors
With water-shortages and drought orders playing on every gardener's mind, water collection is vital. 'As we all face water shortages we are thinking of inventive ways to look after plants,' says Bob Sweet, Show Organiser at the Royal Horticultural Society. 'There are several really good ideas extending from water collectors to composters with propagation units which use the heat from compost for propagation.' (Propagation is when new plants are grown from existing ones, such as cuttings or dividing plants that grow in clumps, like chrysanthemums).
The goods news is that bulky green plastic butts can be swapped for trendy collectors made of galvanized materials or Italianate urn styles to collect rainwater run-off.
Once the chic water butt is filled with a reserve supply, go one step greener and water the garden during a hosepipe ban using solar energy. At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2006, an ecofriendly gadget called Solarflow made its debut, using a solar-charged pump, which can water 100 plants for 10 days. (www.garden-irrigation.co.uk)
Herb gardening
Herbs are more popular than ever - in 2004, more than £22 million was spent on herb plants, according to the Horticultural Trade Association's Garden Industry Monitor, as more gardeners are opting for these sensory, aromatic and even healing plants.
One of the UK's top female gardeners, Jekka McVicar, who is Jamie Oliver's personal herb gardener and a regular Gardener's World contributor, runs her organic nursery, Jekka's Herb Farm (www.jekkasherbfarm.com) in Alveston, South Gloucestershire. With her 11th gold medal at this year's Chelsea under her belt for her latest herb garden design, she says herbs have always been the 'in-thing.' 'The herb industry is increasing every year. You are what you eat. If you grow a rosemary bush, for example, you can make rosemary tea by just pouring boiling water on top - it's a good pick-me-up and is good for the memory. The garden is becoming holistic along with your health and lifestyle. Herbs tick all the boxes - they smell good, relax you and do you good at the same time,' says Jekka.
There is an element of 'The Good Life' in herb gardening - you can eat what you grow and the most novice of gardeners can get results. And less is more with herbs, which grow happily in containers in the smallest of spaces - from a window box to a small balcony or roof terrace. 'If you are stuck for space, there aren't many plants that you can grow that will give you so much in return. A lot of people grow in containers and urban spaces, so they can grow basil, for example, which will not grow in the garden,' Jekka explains.
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