AGT response to Clive Aslet's Telegraph article on British parks and gardens

Atta boy Clive ! – a superb response to American landscape architect, Professor Martha Schwartz, - she has actually done us a favour… by highlighting the worrying neglect in the care of our public parks. Can you imagine the Prime Minister saying “The Parks are the lungs of London” as did his predecessor, William Pitt? His 18th century generation did so much tree planting that appreciative Victorians carried on the ethos for public health, to the envy of the world. We are fast becoming a nation of grass-cutters, let alone budgets.

Do tell Martha that we care about more than our back yards! Besides Green Space, Groundwork, Common Ground, The Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, countless groups that are Friends of Parks, the Association of Gardens Trusts (AGT) represents county gardens trusts with over seven thousand members nationwide, who are working specifically for every type of park, and are currently sharing research with Parks and Gardens UK=2 0to enhance their super database, “the garden equivalent of Pevsner for the 21st century” (Anna Tyzack). All of the above are passionate about and very successful at getting volunteers, local people, into a variety of local green spaces, creating new designs and enhancing existing parks for the enjoyment of all. There are, for instance, six new public gardens in Hampshire, 5 of which are maintained by volunteers. The AGT promotes our parks and gardens heritage, with such grass roots involvement, - rather than grass cutting - in planning issues, research and also, most importantly getting gardens into school grounds.

We remain, and always will be, a nation of gardeners, not just for ourselves but for everyone. We have left our garden sheds! …to sign up to numerous community gardens and projects similar to the Chiswick Walled Garden Clive mentioned. Check out the websites of the above and get digging!