Celebrate the positive power of plants with the Royal Horticultural Society’s new initiative, Grow Well – an opportunity to join growers across the UK as they sow and grow Calendula officinalis, also known as pot marigolds.
It is increasingly acknowledged that growing and caring for plants supports better physical, social and mental health. Research has shown that gardening can reduce depression and anxiety, and last year the RHS found that those who garden every day have wellbeing scores of 6.6% higher than people who don’t do any gardening at all.
With this in mind, the RHS is inviting the UK to ‘spread the floral sunshine’ this summer, as part of Grow Well in 2022. Sign up via their online form by Monday 28 March to receive a free Grow Well pack, which contains seeds, a guide to know more about calendula, and inspiration cards for calendula based wellbeing activities.
Get sowing with your community
The RHS is encouraging everyone to sow their calendula seeds during the first week of May, but you can be flexible to suit your group and schedule.
Calendula takes between 6–8 weeks to fully bloom, so schools will be able to enjoy their plants from seed to flower before the summer holidays.
‘Anyone is welcome to sign up to Grow Well,’ say the RHS. ‘Communities have demonstrated the fantastic wellbeing properties plants have to offer and we hope to help you share them far and wide.’
Local community project GROW Jersey, which was set up to promote wellbeing through gardening, has already signed up for the campaign. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more details soon.
You can share your plans and events using #GrowWell with the Society’s community accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
