Get Your Garden Fit for a King

Get a Garden Fit for a King

Saturday 6^th May 2023 is the Coronation of King Charles III, and there is then a Bank Holiday on May 8^th following the ceremony.

If you’re using this long weekend to spend some quality time at home, you’ll want to get your home and garden ready in time. Or you may be looking at actually tackling some of the jobs on your to-do list if you have a few days off work.

You may also be thinking about what exactly you can do with your outdoor space this year—and it turns out you needn’t look any further than King Charles himself for inspiration.

Whatever your plans, Speedy has you covered. With all of the tools you need to get the jobs done available to hire, you don’t have to miss out.

Speedy is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and if you have a MySpeedy account, you have access to all of the information you need.

 

 

Get Your Garden Fit for a King

King Charles is a big fan of gardening himself, encouraging wildlife and using produce grown on the Highgrove Kitchen Garden on the menu at the estate.

So, if you’re looking for inspiration on how to transform your garden ready for this summer, look no further than the King himself.

 

1. Start growing produce

It isn’t too late to sow seeds, but you can also buy starters at garden centres which are already on their way to produce fruit and vegetables.

At Highgrove, there is an emphasis on seasonal menus, with produce from the Kitchen Garden used throughout the year.

Beetroot, herbs, and salads are just some of the items on the menu, and the kitchen team works with the gardening team to plan for the year ahead and grow what can be used in cooking and designing the menu.

If you want to start growing produce at home, building a raised bed will allow you to keep everything organised, use the perfect soil mix for growing whatever you want, and you can also add height to make it easier to harvest and check on the produce.

Read our tips on how to start a new vegetable garden.

 

2. Encourage wildlife

King Charles champions wildlife here in the UK, and Highgrove has a wildflower meadow which blooms right up to late summer. Research by the Wildlife Trusts has found that private gardens in Britain cover an area larger than all of the country’s nature reserves combined.

The potential to recover some of the habitat loss suffered over the past 50 years is huge, and you can play a huge part.

While leaving your grass long can help, you can still encourage wildlife while having a manicured lawn. Pots or borders of wildflowers are beneficial for bees and butterflies, and trees and shrubs provide shelter for so many bugs and birds.

Woodchips can also create a haven for smaller wildlife such as bugs, which is food for bigger animals.

Provide food and water for wildlife and cut small holes in fences and gates to allow hedgehogs and other animals to roam freely.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Highgrove Gardens (@highgrovegarden)

 

3. Collect water

While you may be thankful the worst of the rain is over, there will no doubt be a heatwave later on in the year. It is during periods of extreme heat and drought that collected rainwater comes into its own.

At Highgrove, rainwater is used to irrigate the garden. All you need is a water butt, and you can collect all of the rainwater we will get over winter. You can also place one under a drainpipe to collect water overflow.

Ensure your guttering is kept clean and free from debris year-round, so the water flows down the drainpipe rather than over your guttering.

 

4. Make your own compost

At Highgrove, the gardeners make their own compost and leaf mulch using the gardening waste produced throughout the year.

A compost heap is a great way to save money, as you don’t have to buy any once it is producing great-quality compost. It also reduces waste and its impact on the environment, as the waste isn’t ending up in a landfill.

Then, when you collect your leaves using a leaf blower or cut your grass and collect the clippings, you can add the waste to your compost heap and use the compost next year!

You can recycle kitchen waste such as vegetable peelings and used tea bags, too. And it is a great place for worms to reside.

 

 

WEEKEND TOOL HIRE FROM SPEEDY

Speedy Hire, the UK's leading tool hire company, are here to support you 24/7 with all your tool hire needs.

Speedy has more than 200 local service centres across the nation, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery. We have Weekend Hire available so you can get all of your DIY and Gardening jobs done.

You’ll find all the tools you need right here. Why not open a Speedy account today online or visit us in your local depot to start hiring today?

 

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