National Gardening Week is here! This national event, run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), is to raise awareness of gardening and to encourage more people to take part in this healthy and productive outdoor activity. We’re celebrating by sharing some of the best-kept gardening hacks straight from the mouths of Parker’s team members. Keep reading to discover our top 5 time-saving gardening hacks.

Cut Flower Food Hack

Are your cut flowers in need of some TLC? Instead of buying flower food for your vase displays. Simply make sure to trim the stems every few days to keep the flowers fresh, and add a teaspoon of sugar into the vase water. The sugar will not only help increase the number and size of open flowers, but it also prolongs the vase's life.

Grow your own food with leftovers

Cutting vegetables and planning on throwing the scraps away? Think again! Fresh nutritious produce can be one of the most expensive buys from the supermarket. Luckily there are ways we can reduce this cost by experimenting with growing our own fruit and vegetables at home. Scraps of potato, garlic bulbs and herbs can be grown in glass jars and water and transformed into brand-new plants. Great for the environment and your wallet.

Garden Planning Pot Hack

Put your plants in doubled pots, and then bury them at ground level. Whenever you fancy switching up your display, just lift out the top pot and slot in a different one.

Cooking Water Fertiliser

The next time you boil or steam some vegetables, don’t pour the water down the drain. Once the water has cooled, you can pour the vegetable water around your garden to “fertilise” your plants instead of wasting it. Not only is it cost-effective and resourceful, the fertiliser it provides for your plants gives them a more stable and steady growth period.

Self-watering Plants

Planning on being away from your garden for a while? Fill a water bottle with water, leave the cap off, and quickly turn it upside down and push it a few inches into the soil. The water will slowly seep into the soil and keep it moist.