Illustrated Guide To Gardening Online

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and BBC One's The One Show have joined forces once again to launch My Chelsea Garden – a competition encouraging the nation to share photos of their gardens and green spaces at home, however big or small.

First launched last year for the Virtual Chelsea Flower Show, the competition returns for 2021, giving amateur gardeners the chance to share images of their green spaces and growing efforts.

The charity and broadcaster are asking people to enter a current picture of their garden or green space in one of the following four categories:

• Back Garden

Back gardens come in all shapes and sizes, just like the gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Submit your photo, whether you have a tiny city patch or a formal domestic outside haven at the rear of your property.

• Front Garden

For years the RHS has been highlighting the importance of front garden spaces, encouraging the nation to turn their grey front gardens green for the health of the planet and community. The judges are looking for front gardens with kerb appeal, from the smallest outside space which has been transformed into a floral feast, to driveways where cars and plants live in harmony.

• Alternative Garden (houseplants, window sills, balconies etc.)

The trend for greening up your home with indoor plants is still going strong, especially for city dwellers with limited or no outside traditional outdoor garden space. Judges want to see the inspirational and creative ways you have been growing plants without a traditional garden. Whether it's balconies, window sills, conservatories, terrariums, glasshouses, houseplants or indoor edibles, share images of your plants that are thriving without traditional outdoor space.

• Community Garden

Gardening has the power to bring everyone together. Community gardens can be tiny plots, gardens on roofs, communal gardens attached to a tower block or school gardens. Is there a single piece of land that has been gardened collectively by a group of people from more than one household? Enter your picture to be in with a chance of winning. Community gardens will need to demonstrate that they have been operating within the appropriate COVID rules and guidelines.

• AND... 'Best in Show'

As part of the competition, the RHS and The One Show want to know how people's gardens have helped them over the last year. One additional winner will be chosen from across the four categories for a special prize, 'Best in Show'. This will be the judge's choice and will be the entry which has most captured how gardening has helped us at this time in the midst of the pandemic.

What's the prize?

One winner chosen from each category and the 'Best in Show' will receive four public day tickets for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 (plus £400 towards travel but accommodation is not included) and a special RHS Award commending their winning garden.

How to enter

Visit bbc.co.uk/theoneshow for the full terms and for the link to apply. You'll be asked to submit one current picture of your garden in one of the four categories, plus a short description of your garden space, and say in up to 200 words how your garden has helped you in the last 12 months.

The competition is now open and will close just before midnight on Sunday 18th April 2021 .

SEAN GLADWELL Getty Images

Judging process

A panel of judges will draw up a shortlist of the best gardens in each category. The shortlisted entries will then be sent to the Competition Judges to select a winner in each category. The competition judges are:

The One Show presenter, Alex Jones
Garden writer, broadcaster and horticultural expert, Monty Don
RHS Head of Shows judging, James Alexander Sinclair
Author, small gardens expert and House Beautiful's garden columnist, Isabelle Palmer
Head of The One Show, Rob Unsworth

In line with how a RHS garden is formally judged, there will be a judging criteria to determine the winners, which will be as follows:

1) Ambition

Atmosphere
Flair
Originality
Impact
Theatre

2) Overall impression

Attention to detail
Choice of materials
Polish and dressing
Imagination

3) Design, layout plan of Garden / gardening space

Dimensions
Scale
Unity

4) Planting design

Visual impact
Colour
Texture

Please note that the judges will be judging the garden, and not the quality of the photo, so avoid altering images using photo editing software. Additionally, how much money has been spent on the garden will not be taken into consideration.

low angle view of plants in macrame holders

Sarah Sosiak / EyeEm Getty Images

Share images using the hashtag #mychelseagarden

As part of the competition, the RHS and The One Show are also asking for positive images of plants and beautiful gardens to help ease anxiety and provide some respite in these challenging times, using the hashtag #mychelseagarden.

'People have never gardened and grown plants so much in a time when they have never needed it more,' says RHS Head of Shows Judging, James Alexander-Sinclair. 'It's joyous seeing the efforts people have gone to when creating some really very special gardens. With RHS Chelsea Flower Show being postponed until September, we love that we can celebrate and share people's best efforts to green up their outside and inside spaces in May when the world famous gardening event usually takes place.'

flower boxes with blossoming summer flowers and rosemary on balcony

Westend61 Getty Images

Is the Chelsea Flower Show going ahead this year?

Last year's Chelsea Flower Show was cancelled amidst the UK's coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with a virtual show running in its place – the world's most prestigious gardening event hadn't been cancelled since World War II.

For 2021, the Chelsea Flower Show has been postponed to autumn (21st - 26th September). The RHS will continue to hold its Virtual Chelsea Flower Show online, during the May show week (17 - 21st May).

Tickets are available to buy now

Read our guide here for more information on the Chelsea Flower Show 2021.

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16 great books for gardening and indoor plant inspiration

Garden book

RHS How to Create your Garden: Ideas and Advice for Transforming your Outdoor Space

Adam Frost's practical, no-nonsense approach will help you plan and build a garden that works for you. The Gardeners' World presenter takes you step by step through the whole process, from simple garden design ideas to a full garden makeover.

Garden book

Modern Container Gardening: How to Create a Stylish Small-Space Garden Anywhere

Isabelle Palmer shows you how to make the most of every little space with a series of projects for small gardens, singular containers and window boxes, that can be completed in a day or weekend. Perfect for novice gardeners,Modern Container Gardening offers beautiful photography and clear step-by-step instructions.

Garden book

National Trust School of Gardening: Practical Advice from the Experts

National Trust amazon.co.uk

£14.99

The National Trust employs over 500 gardeners with an extraordinary wealth of expertise. And now, in this in-depth guide, they pass on their wisdom and provide the answers any new and seasoned gardener is looking for. This book is intended to give you inspiration and confidence to make the most of your garden, without being overwhelmed with unnecessary technical detail.

Garden book

Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month

Veg In One Bed explains how to build your bed and grow from seed, as well advice on planting, feeding, and harvesting. YouTube gardening star Huw Richards shows how to guarantee early success by starting off young plants on a windowsill and suggests what to grow in each part of the bed.

Garden book

The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening

Monty Don offers straightforward gardening advice in this book, revealing the secrets of growing vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs, while respecting the needs of the environment by gardening organically. You can also enjoy a tour of his Herefordshire garden, including his flower garden, herb garden, kitchen garden, and more.

Plants book

RHS Practical House Plant Book

The Practical House Plant Book by the RHS contains a dozen step-by-step projects to help you assemble an eye-catching terrarium, create a floating kokedama 'string garden', or propagate succulents. Complete with 175 in-depth plant profiles, this is an essential practical guide for indoor gardeners.

Garden book

Small Garden Style: A Design Guide for Outdoor Rooms and Containers

Ten Speed Press amazon.co.uk

£12.35

A small garden space – an urban patio, a tiny backyard, or even just a pot by your door – doesn't have to sacrifice style. InSmall Garden Style, garden designer Isa Hendry Eaton and lifestyle writer Jennifer Blaise Kramer show you how to use good design to create a joyful, elegant, and exciting yet compact outdoor living space.

Garden book

Charles Dowding's No Dig Gardening: From Weeds to Vegetables Easily and Quickly: Course 1

No Dig Garden amazon.co.uk

£18.65

Charles Dowding, innovator of no dig, teaches you everything you need to know about this method of organic gardening. With 19 chapters, you'll learn how to use no dig on different soil types, recognise and massively reduce the different types of weeds, know the difference between soil and types of compost, and grow an abundance of vegetables using the no dig method.

Plants book

In Bloom: Growing, harvesting and arranging flowers all year round

Kyle Books amazon.co.uk

£17.46

Get all the inspiration you need for planting cut flowers, and fill your home with colour and the gorgeous scent of the garden year-round withIn Bloom. Clare Nolan reveals her secrets for growing a bountiful harvest as well as styling spectacular homegrown displays in this beautifully designed book.

Garden book

RHS Complete Gardener's Manual

The RHS'Complete Gardener's Manual will help you choose plants that will thrive in your space, design a border for year-round colour, grasp different pruning techniques, discover how to protect your veg patch from pests, and make the best compost.

Garden book

Wildlife Gardening: For Everyone and Everything

Bloomsbury Wildlife amazon.co.uk

£9.99

Do you want to attract more bees, birds, frogs and hedgehogs into your garden? InWildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything,Kate Bradbury teams up with the Wildlife Trusts and the RHS to help you discover how you can make your garden, balcony, doorstep or patio a haven for garden wildlife. You'll find handy charts, practical projects and fact files.

Plants book

My House Plant Changed My Life: Green wellbeing for the great indoors

Gardener and TV presenter David Domoney is a firm believer that indoor plants can make 'a practical and emotional contribution to our wellbeing'. In this book, David explains the hard science behind the positive effect of the humble houseplant on wellness, and provides expert tips on how to keep your plants thriving, plus shares his top 50 life-enhancing houseplants.

Garden book

RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design: Planning, Building and Planting Your Perfect Outdoor Space

If you're looking for new garden ideas, theRHS Encyclopedia of Garden Design will guide you from planning to planting, such as choosing the correct materials for your structures and assessing your drainage, to laying patios, making ponds, and planting perennials.

Garden book

How to Create an Eco Garden: The practical guide to sustainable and greener gardening

Lorenz Books amazon.co.uk

£11.29

This planet-friendly book is filled with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale, from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity, learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping, and take on simple projects such as making a pond and a wildlife hotel.

Plants book

RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers

Drawing on expert advice from the RHS, this best-selling reference book – organised by colour, size, and type, rather than as an A-Z directory – will help you select the right varieties for your outdoor space.

Garden book

Build a Better Vegetable Garden: 30 DIY Projects to Improve your Harvest

Frances Lincoln Publishers Ltd amazon.co.uk

£12.55

Joyce and Ben Russell have devised 30 kitchen garden projects, devised to either extend the season, protect crops from pests or improve yields. These projects transform your vegetable plot into somewhere more productive, more attractive and more secure.

Olivia Heath Executive Digital Editor, House Beautiful UK Olivia Heath is the Executive Digital Editor at House Beautiful UK where she's busy uncovering tomorrow's biggest home trends, all whilst delivering stylish room inspiration, small space solutions, easy garden ideas and house tours of the hottest properties on the market.

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