Successful growing despite the weather
, by John Clowes
The wettest drought in my living memory hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm from our schoolchildren taking the 2012 Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey.
Our primary and secondary pupils have been desperately trying to produce flowers, fruit and vegetables good enough for the RHS Chelsea Flower show exhibits, despite the horrendous weather.
The pupils from Four Swannes School, Waltham Cross, with their potato crops
Jane Hartley and I recently visited seven schools in the Cheshunt and Waltham Cross area of Hertfordshire to see for ourselves how Gerbera plants and vegetable crops were progressing. Encouragement from Aylett Nurseries staff and growing guru Peter Maiden have ensured plants in these schools have been given plenty of TLC. Miracle-Gro composts have provided ideal growing conditions for roots and stems.
Those plants positioned in warm, protected spots – like these potatoes at Four Swannes School, Waltham Cross – have done well.
Pupils and staff from Churchfield Primary School, Cheshunt Wash, with their ‘unique’ Gerbera!
And this Gerbera Garvinea grown by pupils of Churchfield Primary, Cheshunt Wash, was showing one of the only flower buds we spotted all day long. The Gerberas were grown from plugs delivered in February and growing them to bud stage in 10 weeks has been a battle against cool, wet and dull weather. Well done Churchfield!
With less than 10 days to go before RHS Chelsea Flower Show opens on 21st May to Her Majesty The Queen, the press and all the celebs, we’ll be hoping for some much better weather and lots of warmth and sunshine.
No comments | Freshness: 5 days ago
Growing our Miracle-Gro'wers Union flag
, by John Clowes
The pupils from Bloxham Primary School planting up their red, white and blue Union flag
Six pupils from Bloxham Primary School, Bloxham, Adderbury, Oxfordshire, visited the growing nursery of plant breeder, producer and distributor of flowering plants, Ball Colegrave, to help plant up 36 VertiGarden modules that will, when hung together, produce a giant Union flag.
The flower flag, measuring 4×2m (13 × 6ft 6in), is intended to be hung on the back wall of the Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The theme for this year’s Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey gardens is The Queen’s Jubilee Celebration, and flowers and vegetables in red, white and blue will compliment the traditional appeal of the British national flag in flowers.
Planting of the modules is a critical stage for producing the correct pattern in plants. Each module has 16 planting stations, so 576 red, white and blue plants need to be positioned accurately for the flag image to be reproduced in flowers. The experts at Ball Colegrave produced a detailed planting plan for each of the planting stations and marked each of the 36 Verti-Garden modules with coloured markers to help with the job undertaken by the schoolchildren.
The chosen flowers are petunias from the Fanfare series, bred by British patio plant breeder partnership, David and Priscilla Kerley. This special strain of petunias produces vivid colours that should attract a great deal of attention from show visitors, the press, TV – and hopefully the Royal party!
No comments | Freshness: 52 days ago
Schools start growing for Chelsea
, by John Clowes
Pupils of Thorntree Primary School meet Christine Walkden and Paula Parker of Scotts Miracle-Gro
Peter Seabrook shows pupils of Holy Trinity Primary School red, white and blue potatoes
Nearly 350 schools have registered to take part in our Miracle-Gro’wers Learning Journey challenge to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables for our two gardens at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
All of the vegetable seeds have gone out to the schools and many of the flowers have either been delivered or are on their way. Many schools will be growing Garvinea gerberas, red, white and blue Fanfare petunias and strawberries in pots and bags of Miracle-Gro Potting Mix.
Great growing schools
Most schools that took part last year have returned for more growing excitement. These include the Fermoys Garden Centre cluster from the Newton Abbot area of Devon and the Charlton Manor School cluster from Greenwich, South London. It’s a big welcome back to everyone involved last year – and a big welcome to all our new growers.
New to the Miracle-Gro’wers team are 14 schools from the Cheshunt area of Hertfordshire, who are supported by Aylett Nurseries, St Albans, and clusters of schools created by Meadow Croft Garden Centre, Rayleigh, Essex, and Burleydam Garden Centre, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Meeting, greeting and growing
Peter Seabrook, our supporter from The Sun newspaper has been out and about meeting some of the children at their schools. More than 100 parents, teachers and pupils attended an evening meeting at Corelli College in Greenwich, London. They were also delighted to hear from TV gardener Christine Walkden on how gardening had transformed her school life from ‘disinterested’ to ‘totally inspired’. We’re sure many of the children will experience the same excitement that growing and caring for plants can create.
Peter Seabrook took a special assembly for the pupils of Holy Trinity Primary School in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, where he showed them that potatoes could be found in many colours – including red, white and blue.
No comments | Freshness: 64 days ago
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