Ryton's Garden Organic encourages chidren to grow rainbow of flowers to support NHS and carers - here's how to get started

Children are being encouraged to show their support for the NHS, key workers and National Children’s Gardening Week (May 23 to May 31) by growing a rainbow of flowers in their garden, on their balcony or windowsill.
Freya, aged 3.Freya, aged 3.
Freya, aged 3.

They could also the leaves and petals from existing plants to create their own unique rainbow design.

Chris Collins, National Children's Gardening Week ambassador and head of Organic Horticulture at Garden Organic near Rugby said: “Gardening and interacting with nature can create hours of fun for children and giving them a specific project to do is the spur they need to engage them.

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"What better project at the moment than one to support our NHS and Key Workers?"

Toby, 7 and Jessica, 3.Toby, 7 and Jessica, 3.
Toby, 7 and Jessica, 3.

A spokeperson for Garden Organic said: "Learning about plants and how they grow feeds into many different parts of the national curriculum and parents can support this learning by providing children with some seeds and a trowel and letting them discover the wonders of growing."

Chris added: “Children love nothing more than getting their hands in the soil and getting them dirty. Buy them some seeds, preferably organic and get them started."

There is still plenty that can be sown this time of year - simply follow the instructions on the seed packets for how to grow.

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Here are Chris’s top recommendations for a rainbow of colour:

Charlotte, aged 10.Charlotte, aged 10.
Charlotte, aged 10.

Red - Nasturtium. These are really simple to grow, and you can eat the flowers too.

Orange - English or Pot Marigold. This is a fantastic addition to any garden, the flowers attract a number of beneficial insects which will help control pests.

Yellow - Sunflower. Everyone loves the cheerful flower of a sunflower! Their bright yellow flowers attract butterflies and bees and you can see who in your household can grow the tallest one for a bit of competition!

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Green – Herbs. Why not sow a row of herbs in the middle of your rainbow? They will provide a luscious strip of green that you can enjoy in the kitchen as well as the garden!

Scarlett's finished rainbow.Scarlett's finished rainbow.
Scarlett's finished rainbow.

Blue - Cornflower. These beautiful blue flowers attract hoverflies in the summer months and the seeds are loved by birds.

Purple - Aster. This perennial plant has star-like purple flowers which will be teeming with butterflies and hoverflies come the autumn months.

Pink - Cosmos. Cosmos come in a wide range of colours but the bright pink are especially stunning. The beautiful and delicate flowers will be alive with beneficial hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps (which don’t sting!).

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While Children are waiting for their seeds to grow they could also create a rainbow using petals and leaves.

Thomas, 5, with Rosie, 18 months old.Thomas, 5, with Rosie, 18 months old.
Thomas, 5, with Rosie, 18 months old.

Encourage them to go into the garden and collect a variety of leaves and petals of different colours to stick on a sheet of paper in the shape of a rainbow. Don’t worry if there is a colour missing as the rainbow shape will still be there.

All you need is:

A list of the colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and pink)

Pencil

Paper

Glue

Activity:

Look for something in the garden that matches the colours and tick off on your sheet

Gather some petals or leaves matching the colours

Stick them on the paper in a rainbow shape

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Further ideas to get children interested in the garden during National Children’s Gardening week include going on a bug hunt to identify insects or creating a cress caterpillar.

More information and activity sheets for parents or schools can be found at gardenorganic.org.uk/news/national-childrens-gardening-week

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