We're rooting for you this National Gardening Week

[Mencap_online_comms]

It is a wonderful sunny day here - a perfect day for the start of National Gardening Week.

Have you spent the weekend out in your garden (or someone else's)?

Has gardening (indoors or outdoors) helped you get through the last year? Let us know about your successes (and your disasters).

What jobs are you doing in the garden at the moment? Do you have any top tips that other people could share?

Please share any photos you have on here too. It would be wonderful to see what you have been doing.

Thanks

Mencap's online community team

[Freddy44]

We just made some wildflower seed balls. It's really easy - idea borrowed from Newsround here

youtu.be/v7MvVs4zCDc(Not working as expected?)

We used mixed wildflower seeds and flour rather than clay. They are still drying out but they seem ok.

Going to give them to people too as presents.

Wildflower seed balls

[crazysquirrel]

Hello. Our garden has been life line over the last year. I have never appreciated having some outside space so much. We didn't really spend any money on it, but one of our neighbours was getting rid of a pond lining so we took it and made it a wildlife pond. We did this last summer and we have seen frogs and a newt in there this year. I would really recommend a pond if you have room. I like the idea of the seed balls too. Very keen on getting some more wildflowers in the garden too. Thanks

[Sarah_Mencap]

There are also some lovely posts on social media about this.

Here is a post about some people Mencap support in Surrey who couldn't go to their gardening day service due to the pandemic.

Instead they are growing beautiful sunflowers at home - twitter.com/mencap_charity/...

Some of Mencap' services are growing beautiful sunflowers at home

[Mencap_online_comms Partner]

Hello again. There is also a lovely Makaton video here from Lucinda 'flower'

youtu.be/kj5SLRjiCrs(Not working as expected?)

[Sarah_Mencap]

Another lovely story here.

This spring, JB has made a fantastic vegetable bed and wooden planters with support from his lovely support worker Dan.

JB is looking forward to a trip to the garden centre next week to stock up on supplies for the next stage of the project. Tomato Sunflower

See the full post on Twitter here - twitter.com/mencap_charity/...

I hope you are feeling inspired!

JB has made a fantastic vegetable bed and wooden planters

[00ferrc]

Garden has made a huge difference to me over the last year.

I am a big fan of cottage style gardens and gave it go for the first time during lockdown using the garden at the front of my house.

The nicest thing was that I met (safely) loads of my neighbours who were walking by and I had never spoke to before. I even met a professional gardener who gave me tons of great advice.

I also put loads of things in mine to help hedgehogs, birds, and bees. I have two hedgehogs who visit regularly, and it makes my whole week when they turn up! More bird boxes are going up this weekend too.

Bad news is now I want an allotment 😆. Especially after watching this youtuber - youtube.com/watch?v=ppx3b8S...(Not working as expected?)

[Sarah_Mencap]

Oooh - an allotment. That would be a great excuse to get some chickens too. 🐔🐓