The perfect plant 'Capsule Wardrobe'
Blue Diamond were the proud sponsors of the Urban Garden Area at the BBC's show in Birmingham on the 13th to 16th of June.
Visitors to the show were able to wander through part of an imagined, urban terraced house and out into a typical sized urban garden.
To help you to make the most of your urban garden or outdoor space, Blue Diamond Garden Centres have curated with a ‘capsule wardrobe’ of 25 plants. These plants are the perfect ‘timeless staples’ for your garden and can be ‘mixed and matched’ with seasonal plants throughout the year.
These plants include those that are pollinator friendly, climate resilient, low maintenance, and those that are ideal for growing up walls/structures.
By ‘mixing and matching’ with seasonal plants throughout the year, especially those that are suited to pots and containers, you are able to alter the look and feel of your garden with very little effort.
Our collection can be bought in store subject to availability.
Our plant collections
The importance of urban gardening
It is estimated that by 2033 the UK population will rise, from around 67.8 million, to around 71.6 million. Currently, only 6% of parks and green spaces are legally protected and 38% of people in England don't have access to a nature-rich green space within a 15-minute walk of their home, with deprived neighbourhoods having the least access.
Blue Diamond Garden Centres want to highlight this issue and try and encourage more people to garden in urban areas. For instance, by planting:
- Roof top gardens
- Balcony gardens
- Vertical or wall gardens
- Street trees
- Wildflower verges
- Small pocket parks in between buildings
- Urban gardens
- By getting involved in a local community garden project
By ‘greening’ more urban areas this can help to clean the air, reduce the risk of flooding, provide vital food for pollinators and help keep cities cool.
The advantages of urban gardening
Wellbeing
With the rapid pace of urban life, people often find it challenging to connect with nature and spend time outdoors.
Urban gardens are a welcome escape, providing opportunities for meaningful engagement with nature which can help lower stress levels, alleviate anxiety, encourage physical exercise, and enhance mental wellbeing.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms within an ecosystem. By embracing urban gardening, we are helping to preserve and restore biodiversity in areas that have been affected by the development of towns and cities, making ecosystems stronger and improving interactions between living things.
By creating green spaces and cultivating a variety of plant species, urban gardeners provide habitats for all sorts of wildlife - encouraging their population growth whilst improving ecosystems and interactions between species, and saving valuable genetic resources.
Westminster Stone
We would like to thank Westminster Stone for supplying Mompesson Ivory Porcelain Paving and Mill Bay Driftwood Porcelain Paving for our Urban Show Garden at the Gardener's World Live exhibition.
Westminster Stone are stone paving and interior flooring specialists, and a third-generation family business established in 1985. Their handcrafted reproductions are produced by using traditional methods and locally sourced materials. The meticulous attention to detail is world-renowned and adds instant maturity to any design. With Display Centres across the country and conveniently located within Grosvenor, Bridgemere and Fryers Blue Diamond Garden Centres, it's so easy to find the perfect paving and flooring solutions.