Grow Well

Grow Calendula officinalis and share the wellbeing benefits of plants with your school or community

In 2022 the RHS Communities team launched Grow Well, a new initiative designed to highlight and share the wellbeing benefits and positive power of plants. 

It is increasingly acknowledged that growing and caring for plants supports better physical, social and mental health. Research has shown that gardening can reduce depression and anxiety, and last year the RHS found that those who garden every day have wellbeing scores of 6.6% higher than people who don’t do any gardening at all. 

With this in mind schools and communities across the UK were invited to sow, grow and share calendula. 5780 groups signed up to take part and, as always, they responded with enthusiasm and creativity, spreading the joy of plants far and wide.

The pupils at Thundridge Primary School set about brightening their neighbours' days with their calendula seedlings.

“All 75 children have now left a Calendula for finding, accompanied by a little poem. We have had some lovely emails back to say how they improved the finder’s days. It’s been an incredibly positive experience both for the children (drawing something that makes them happy or writing a joke on the back of the poem to go with plants) and for the reported finders, we’ve made new connections reaching from Hertfordshire all the way to the Peak District! We’ve now donated an additional 35 plants to another Primary School so they can participate too!”

- Thundridge Primary School, Hertfordshire

It’s not too late to get involved, all the resources and activities you need to take part in Grow Well can be found in the green box on this page. Pick up some calendula seeds from your local garden centre or, why not try growing another flower or herb from seed?