2013-04-16 — /travelprnews.com/ — Heathrow has partnered with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to bring the best in traditional English gardens to welcome passengers into London.
Between 15 April and 25 May, over 8 million passengers travelling through Heathrow will be welcomed with distinctive garden displays to celebrate National Gardening Week (15 – 21 April) and the Chelsea Flower Show (21 – 25 May).
In a first for the airport, the forecourts of Terminals 3, 4 and 5 will be transformed into a living art installation by Tony Smith, winner of three Royal Horticultural Society best in show awards and gold at RHS Chelsea, RHS Hampton Court, RHS Tatton Park and Gardeners’ World Live Flower Shows.
Tony Smith said:
‘Creating living art installations for Heathrow has been a fantastic challenge. It’s amazing to think that so many international visitors will be able to enjoy my work and I hope the gardens are a memorable welcome home for British travellers.’
Over 170 Heathrow and RHS volunteers wearing Wellington boots and gardening aprons will be busy welcoming passengers arriving into London and dispensing gardening advice. Restaurants at the airport will be continuing the theme with specially designed menus to celebrate the season, including native lobster with elderflower foam, pea shoots and violets from Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food and spring salads with edible flowers from “rhubarb”.
Arriving passengers will also be encouraged to start their own English garden at home – 20,000 packets of seeds will be given away in the terminals, each with the potential to grow a square metre of wild flowers.
Colin Crosbie, curator at RHS Garden Wisley, said;
‘Britain is going wild for wildflowers during National Gardening Week and it’s fantastic that Heathrow is helping feed the nation’s appetite to grow wild by giving away 20,000 packets of seeds. Bookended by two of the most important events in the gardening calendar, the displays really should help make this a summer to remember for all garden lovers.’
Colin Matthews, Heathrow CEO said;
‘The UK’s hub airport is British and thoroughly international at the same time. Heathrow is pleased to join forces with the Royal Horticultural Society to celebrate some of the best of Britain with visitors from around the world.’
Ends
Notes to editors:
Heathrow has also teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society to offer gardening tips to help plants when passengers go away on holiday. Most houseplants will tolerate a few days’ absence without suffering, but more than a week calls for some creative measures to provide plants with valuable moisture in the right quantity:
- Move houseplants and outdoor containers to a sheltered, shady site outdoors to stop them drying out as quickly. If there’s no natural shade, make a temporary frame from canes and drape over shade netting. Where this isn’t possible, move plants back from windowsills or tape black paper strategically over a windowpane to block out some of the direct sunshine.
- Re-pot pot-bound plants. If they’re too crammed in, they will dry out quickly. Choose containers with integral reservoirs and incorporate water absorbent gel into the compost.
- Give plants a good soak before leaving them, but don’t leave them standing in water as this can lead to them suffering from over watering.
- Make sure that greenhouses are well ventilated and apply extra shading.
- Place capillary matting on greenhouse benches, with one end of the matting submerged in a bowl of water to provide regular moisture to any pots put on top.
- Ask neighbours or friends if they can check whether the pots need watering whilst away. If you can, why not give them a quick tour before leaving to explain what is likely to need attention and what isn’t. Remember over watering can be just as dangerous as under watering.
- Consider installing an automatic watering system for patio pots and greenhouses. These are widely available at garden centres and DIY stores and, if set correctly, can do the job without the attention of friends and neighbours.
For more tips and advice go to rhs.org.uk/gardening
The wild flower seed packets being distributed at Heathrow will include:
- Leucanthemum vulgare (Ox-eye daisy) – Perennial
- Digitalis purpurea (common foxglove) – Biennial
- Malva sylvestris (common mallow) – Perennial
- Anthemis arvensis (corn chamomile) – Annual
- Centaurea cyanus (cornflower) – Annual
- Dipsacus fullonum (common teasel) – Biennial
- Papaver rhoeas (common poppy) – Annual
- Achillea millefolium (common yarrow) – Perennial
- Linaria vulgaris (common toadflax) – Perennial
- Lychnis flos-cuculi (ragged robin) – Perennial
- Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob’s ladder) – Perennial
Contact information
Heathrow Airport media centre
+44 (0)20 8745 7224
media_centre@heathrow.com
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An English garden welcome at Heathrow