Pop on your flower crown for Garden Day

A nationwide community benefit project created by Candide, the gardening app, will launch on Sunday 12th May to celebrate GARDEN DAY encouraging gardeners to down tools for the day, pop on a flower crown and celebrate their gardens with friends, family and neighbours.

Garden Day highlights the considerable benefits that gardening offers for positive mental wellbeing and building community and takes place at the start of both Mental Health Awareness Week and the National Garden Scheme’s Gardens and Health Week.

Garden Day is for anyone and everyone – you can host a Garden Day gathering on a balcony, a lawn or patio or in a flat surrounded by precious pot plants! The main thing is to gather together with friends and family on Sunday 12th May for elevenses, a more-the-merrier lunch, barbecue, afternoon tea or glass of wine – or two!

Personalities from the worlds of gardening, good food, music and wellbeing are adding their support to the movement including Arit Anderson (garden designer and broadcaster, pictured banner above), Michael Perry (Mr Plant Geek and garden presenter on ITV This Morning) and Jekka McVicar (the Queen of Herbs) who have all been photographed in spectacular flower crowns to show their support.

Arit Anderson explains that she is supporting Garden Day to encourage people to sit back and enjoy the virtues of their hard work: “So often we are ‘doing’ in the garden without just ‘being’ in the garden. There are great benefits on our wellness both physically and mentally from being in nature, among plants and wildlife. A garden is our co-creation with nature. We get to choose the plants we love that bring us joy!”

Garden Day piloted in Somerset in 2017 and due to its success is now launching nationwide for the first time.

Inside the May issue of BBC Gardeners’ World magazine you will find postcard invitations to send to guests. Invitations are also part of the comprehensive toolkit available to every Garden Day host via the campaign website at: www.gardenday.co.uk/toolkit

Join in the conversation on Garden Day on social media using the hashtag #GardenDayUK and tagging @GardenDayUK