Television gardening expert and designer David Domoney visited a Warwickshire garden centre last Tuesday (April 28, 2009) to encourage gardeners to donate their old spades for a garden he is creating at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
David was at Stratford-upon-Avon Garden Centre on Warwick Road, which is part of the Wyevale family, on April 28 during the garden centre’s ‘Garden Tool Amnesty’ to ask visitors to help out with ‘The Ace of Spades’ biker’s themed garden he is putting together.
Garden centre Manager, Roger Wale said: “We were delighted David visited the garden centre. The first 50 customers who brought in an old or broken spade to donate to him for his garden received a new Joseph Bentley spade free of charge.
“During our Garden Tool Amnesty, which runs until Sunday, May 3, we are inviting the county’s green-fingered folk to trade in their old and broken gardening tools to help school children and community groups with their gardening projects. The Amnesty is in aid of The Conservation Foundation’s ‘Tools for Schools’ programme known as ‘Tools Shed’.”
David’s biker’s garden will include bike parts, oil drums, old tyres and memorabilia interwoven with plants. The Ace of Spades features throughout, from the shape of the seating area cut into the garden, to the giant structure at the rear, which will be crafted from the old spades gathered from the gardeners who donated them at Stratford-upon-Avon Garden Centre and smelted together at Anwick Forge in Sleaford, Lincolnshire.
David said: “A darkly-themed planting plan completes the hard, gritty nature of the garden. Riding through and appreciating the British countryside is a shared passion of freedom for motorcyclists. Having their own peaceful escape in an inner-city area, when the engine stops, is the essence of this garden.”
The garden centre’s own ‘Garden Tool Amnesty’ initiative applies to tools such as trowels, spades, hand and garden forks, hoes, old-fashioned garden rakes and lawn rakes, but not to power tools, which are those powered by electricity or are petrol-driven.
Roger added: “It’s the second year we have run an appeal like this and last year we supported the international charity, Feed the Children. We will give anyone who brings in their old gardening tools during the two weeks a 20% off voucher to redeem against any new gardening tools from our Wilkinson Sword, Yeoman or Joseph Bentley ranges.
To find out more about the Tool Amnesty at Stratford-upon-Avon Garden Centre, please go along to the garden centre, which is located on Warwick Road, call 01789 734200 or visit www.wyevale.co.uk.
For more information on how to give and receive tools, please visit www.conservationfoundation.co.uk or call 020 7591 3111.
