ReTh!nk at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

ReTh!nk with GARDENA at the RHS Chelsea Flower show 2022

2022 is a year to Reth!nk and consider how we as passionate gardens can create beautiful eco-friendly spaces, be more socially responsible gardeners, and commit ourselves to adopting a more planet-friendly way of life.

GARDENA is partnering with eco-garden designer and warrior on waste, Lynne Lambourne to create a completely unique experience, focusing on sustainability at the world’s biggest flower show.

About Lynne

Lynne has worked to inspire sustainable interior and garden designs, winning Grand Designs Live for her room based on repurposing and sustainability in 2017.

Lynne is also passionate about teaching future generations about how to take better care of our planet with her ‘Warriors on Waste’ movement.

After working with GARDENA back in 2019, Lynne saw synergies between both her and GARDENA’s passion for sustainability. So when the opportunity arose for her to design GARDENA’s Chelsea garden, it was a natural fit.

Lynne believes that sustainability is not an option that a company chooses to include, but something that should be embraced and implemented thoughtfully. Lynne wants to raise awareness of sustainable practices within gardening and inspire people to reuse their past to style their future, something she will be mirroring in her garden design.

Sustainability at heart

As a business, sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at GARDENA, to make positive steps towards a better planet.

GARDENA’s sustainability ethos is based on the foundation of the circular R’s: Reduce, Repair, Recycle.

This year GARDENA launched our brand new range of EcoLine products, which is made from more than 65% recycled materials, most of which comes from household waste.

The EcoLine range includes a selection of popular garden hand tools and watering products, which will be expanded upon in years to come.

However, water conservation has always been a big focus for GARDENA. With over 50 years of experience in garden irrigation, GARDENA has, and will continue to create a range of innovative, water saving solutions.

About the Garden

The theme of the Chelsea flower show GARDENA garden is rewilding - nature taking back control over the things that we have done to harm the planet. It is designed to make people rethink the way we have been living, and guide our thought process from climate crisis to climate conscious.

The garden is a very naturalistic, using nature friendly plants but also using only salvaged, recycled or repurposed materials.

When talking about the garden design, Lynne said “I only design using planet friendly materials, I work hard to find new brands that make things from recycled plastic and are innovators in new planet friendly materials. I work in reverse to most designers, I have to design around what I can salvage or find to repurpose, it makes it more challenging but the impact to the planet is minimal and the result is a really unique design.

“Using suppliers like local charities that change people lives by showing the mental health benefits of gardening and growing plants means that my garden has a purpose in the community where I live too”

Take the ReTh!nk pledge

At the garden, we will be encouraging visitors to take the GARDENA ReThink pledge. The concept of the pledge is to inspire visitors to take simple steps to really make a difference going forward by reducing single-use plastic consumption, adopting greener gardening methods and reconnecting with nature in their gardens.

Lynne's top tips to create a more eco-friendly garden

1. Rewilding areas - leave the grass and flowers to grow naturally in certain areas of your garden to encourage bio-diversity!

2. Go peat-free! Peatlands are the world's largest carbon stores on lands, providing valuable ecosystems for plants and animals, acting like sponges to reduce the risks of flooding. By adding peat to our gardens we release carbon and habitats are damaged. So in summary, keep peat in bogs, not bags!

3. Start a cut flower garden - some imported flowers have up to 10x the carbon footprint of home or UK-grown bouquets. Reduce your carbon by growing your own flowers, creating bouquets from the flowers in your own garden- get creative!

4. Plant a tree! trees capture carbon, clean the air and attract wildlife. If all 30 million UK gardeners planted a medium sized tree and grew it to maturity, they would store enough carbon equivalent to drive you more than 11 million times around our planet!

5. Welcome wildlife - plant bee and butterfly friendly flowers, install an insect or hedgehog hotel and watch your garden become a haven for our wonderful wildlife!

We’re product finalists

In addition to our garden, GARDENA was shortlisted and received a 'Highly Commended' status from the judges at the RHS Chelsea Sustainable Garden Product of the Year Award for both the GARDENA AquaBloom, and EcoLine product ranges.

Designed to be innovative and efficient, the solar-powered AquaBloom automatic watering system does not require a mains water or power supply and can save up to 70% water when compared to standard watering methods. This ready-to-use set will water up to 20 potted plants for up to 2 weeks. So Summer holidays will be a breeze, knowing your plants are cared for while you are not there.