RHS pushes practical spring gardening

RHS guidance sets specific timings: seed potatoes should be chitted indoors from February until their sprouts reach about 2cm, then planted out towards the end of March with shoots facing up into holes 7–15cm deep and covered with at least 2.5cm of soil. (rhs.org.uk) Carrot advice in the RHS brief urges staggered sowings from early spring for a continuous harvest, with seed sown thinly in shallow drills from March onwards to extend cropping through the summer. (rhs.org.uk) Practical sowing details add that carrot drills should be roughly 1cm deep with rows about 30cm apart, and gardeners are advised to thin seedlings to the final spacing as they establish to avoid forking and encourage straight roots. (gardenersworld.com) The RHS Wellbeing Garden Blueprint, due to launch in spring 2026, distils evidence into three core elements and seven design principles and is explicitly built on over a decade (twelve years) of RHS research and practical trials. (rhs.org.uk) Case studies feeding the Blueprint include the first NHS wellbeing garden at University Hospital Lewisham (2022) and a new RHS-designed garden at St James’s University Hospital opened in October 2025 by Adam Frost, with pilot projects reporting measurable staff wellbeing benefits during evaluation. (colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk; leedsth.nhs.uk) RHS Malvern Spring Festival is scheduled at the Three Counties Showground from 7–10 May 2026, will stage six RHS Show Gardens and the Indoor Plant Gardens, and will present the year’s first RHS-judged show garden awards at the event. (rhsmalvern.co.uk) The new Blooming Borders category at Malvern is described by organisers as a planting-design feature aimed at both emerging and experienced designers to gain exposure and professional experience, while the festival’s Floral Marquee will again run with HSBC UK sponsorship. (rhs.org.uk; shropshirestar.com)