As part of its ambitious new Sustainability Strategy, the RHS has launched its national Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign, with the aim being to encourage members of the general public to make meaningful contributions towards climate change targets.
Research from the gardening charity shows that each of the 30 million gardeners to be found around the UK planted a medium-sized tree and let it grow to maturity, they would store the carbon equivalent of driving 11 million times around the world.
And if each one of them made an average of 190kg of compost annually, it would save the carbon equivalent of heating 506,000 average-sized houses for a whole year.
The organisation has also launched a sustainability calculator to help people make the best, most sustainable choices where their plants and gardening are concerned.
It seems that there is much that can be achieved in this regard, with RHS figures showing that just 19 per cent of gardeners say they have adopted sustainable gardening principles like making compost, reducing fossil fuel usage and conserving water.
Professor Alistair Griffiths, RHS director of science and collections, said: “Collectively, the actions of each and every one of our nation’s 30 million gardeners can create positive change and help us adapt to and mitigate against the climate crisis and help to reverse the biodiversity crisis.”
Where water is concerned, if just one in ten households opted not to use sprinklers or hosepipes on lawns during dry spells, it would save as much water as it would take to fill 383 million baths!
And the type of landscaping you have at home can also help in this regard, with permeable paving helping to reduce runoff so that the soil is better able to absorb and store water.
If you need any help with garden design and patios for your Chester home, or elsewhere in the north-west, get in touch with LW Landscapes today.