Unearthed: The Power of Gardening - Print version

The exhibition explores the transformative, enriching and sometimes radical power of gardening in Britain and how it impacts people, communities and the environment.

From rural and urban gardens and allotments to indoor gardens and windowsills, the exhibition delves into how the act of gardening heals and sustains people in a multitude of ways. It explores how gardening brings people together, empowers communities and shapes our relationship with the natural world. It also considers gardening as a form of activism, as a means of challenging land ownership and highlighting social disparities, as well as the consequences of the international movement of plants for the environment and human societies.

The exhibition ran from 2 May - 10 August 2025 at Central Library in partnership with The British Library and Living Knowledge Network. It is now at Tile Hill Library until 1 December 2025.

Gardening to nurture

• Allesley Park Walled Garden [https://allesleyparkwalledgarden.org/]
• Cheylesmore Summerhouses [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/5175/makeover-for-19th-century-coventry-summerhouses]
• Coombe Abbey [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/capabilitybrown] 
• Coventry Charterhouse [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/warwickshire/coventry-charterhouse/garden-at-coventry-charterhouse]
• Coventry War Memorial Park and Gardens [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/war-memorial-park/history-war-memorial-park]
• Coventry Go Walks [https://theoutdoorguide.co.uk/walking-routes/community-walks/coventry-go-walks/]
• The Sculpture Park Virtual Tour [https://thesculpturepark.com/visit-us/virtual-tour/]
• Hindringham Hall Garden Tour [https://youtu.be/-fAVxNfUqp0?si=MCmQkedjUXfVqfZu]
• Inside King Charles' Garden at Highgrove [https://youtu.be/gtW1N3Z2Epg?si=xUcVW3s-xL2bEOBp] 
• Playing in the Garden [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/ztyw7yc]
• The Sculpture Park Virtual Tour [https://thesculpturepark.com/visit-us/virtual-tour/]
• Britain's Deadliest Garden [https://youtu.be/52Ou1OiYCK0?si=cKYSemZybld6llyx] 

Gardening together

• Allotments - all you need to know [https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/allotments]
• Coventry Allotments [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/community-facilities/allotments]
• Coventry Grows [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/climate-change/coventry-grows]
• Gardening With Kids: what children can learn from looking after plants [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/znrntrd]
• Make a Mini Garden [https://www.bbc.co.uk/tiny-happy-people/articles/z7rm2sg]
• How to Grow a Balcony Garden [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/gardening-tips/how-to-grow-a-balcony-garden]

Gardening and Global Exchange

• The Surprising Power of Your Nature Photos  
• The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales [https://botanicgarden.wales/garden-areas/the-great-glasshouse/]
• The Sub-Tropical Forest at Portmeirion [https://portmeirion.wales/visit/explore/the-gardens]
• The International Eden Project [https://www.edenproject.com/new-edens]

Gardening with the planet

• Take part in the Big Butterfly Count [https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/] This ran from Friday 18 July to Sunday 10 August. We can't wait to find out the results!
• Brown-Lidded Garden Bin Collections [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling/brown-lidded-garden-waste-food-bins]
• How a Museum Does No-Mow May [https://youtu.be/WXeoxpOJ-LQ?si=WAdAXO-Dq-UNZT3i]
• How to Grow a Wild Patch or Mini Meadow
• Grow Your Own Loofah Kitchen Sponges [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/gardening-tips/grow-your-own-loofah-kitchen-sponges]
• Invasive Weeds [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/heritage-ecology-trees/invasive-weeds]
• Take a Virtual Tour of the Millennium Seed Bank [https://www.kew.org/wakehurst/whats-at-wakehurst/millennium-seed-bank] 
• Play the Blue Peter Let it Grow Game [https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/blue-peter-let-it-grow-game]

Plant Spotlights

• Tulips
  • Central Library Tulip display online jigsaw puzzle
  • Experience Keukenhof in the Netherlands [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scUKyg1NT-g]
• Dandelions
  • Time and the Dandelion [https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/david-merry/time-and-dandelion]
  • The Secret Physics of Dandelion Seeds [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2UbaDV9O9Q]
• Pineapples
  • How to grow a pineapple [https://www.gardenersworld.com/house-plants/how-to-grow-pineapples/]
  • Why there is a pineapple on the Wimbledon trophy [https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2018-07-15/2018-06-27_why_is_there_a_pineapple_on_the_wimbledon_trophy.html]
• Orchids
  • How the Lady's-Slipper Orchid was Rescued
• Potatoes
  • Taking Root: potato season at Kew's Kitchen Garden [https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/potato-season-kew]
  • Grow Potatoes in a Bag with Alan Titchmarsh [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu3Ob2KtLy8]
  • Play Supertato Potato Flinger game and Defeat the Evil Pea! [https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/games/supertato-potato-flinger-game]

Unearthed in the Pages

Cultivate your knowledge and grow your gardening skills with books in Coventry Libraries

Search the catalogue [http://librarycatalogue.coventry.gov.uk].

eBooks

Enjoy fascinating e-books with BorrowBox [https://coventry.borrowbox.com/product-group/45764/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening].

eAudiobooks

Sit back and listen to brilliant e-audiobooks with BorrowBox [https://coventry.borrowbox.com/eaudiobooks/product-group/45764/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening].

ePress

Harvest the latest trends in planting and design with ePress [https://coventry.borrowbox.com/epress/product-group/33800/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening] from BorrowBox. Find titles such as BBC Gardeners' World, Amateur Gardener and Landscape magazine on the free BorrowBox app.

Unearthed Sounds

Spotify

Visit CovLibraries on Spotify and enjoy a curated playlist of garden-themed tunes:

• Little Sprouts Playlist [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3KKjrCxcTXWwbLLEiEHCvw?si=qkvWsHrbRQ6zO30IMwOIjg] - garden and nature themed songs for children, some you may recognise from Coventry Library rhymetimes! 
• Unearthed Melodies [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TQWLyz8ESvR83IRw2Awsy?si=YVJmPtXMRaCLr0K1UsQulw] - from The Move to Nat King Cole, an eclectic mix of garden and nature-themed songs to enjoy
• Unearthed Podcasts [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3a3DyGiHRJzyK18GTlXDi9?si=5244vpcCQ_CLz7EHkn3kEw] - garden and plant-themed podcasts to entertain and educate

BorrowBox

Sit back and listen to wonderful e-audiobooks with BorrowBox [https://coventry.borrowbox.com/eaudiobooks/product-group/45764/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening].

Unearthed Sights

BFI Replay

Grab a pair of headphones and visit your local library to access BFI Replay and enjoy a selection of film and TV archive recordings:

• Two Backyards in Beeston Hill (2001) Three young boys who've helped a resident restore her garden inspires the wider community to adopt planting in shared spaces.
• Sixty Second Chelsea Flower Show (1983) A sneak peek behind the scenes of the 1983 Chelsea Flower Show.
• Family Gardens in Bredgar (1983) Reflecting the contemporary attitude to gardens being a place of leisure and relaxation for the whole family.
• Tiny Garden (1987) A house in Plymouth holds a small secret - a nationally famous garden measuring just 15 x 8 ft, with a paradise of 360 plants in tubs. Open to the public, it raises money for Macmillan nurses.
• Gardening For The Handicapped (1986) This film explores the tools, layouts and plants that enable elderly gardeners and those with limited mobility to enjoy their garden spaces and how small adaptations can be key to continuing the joy of gardening.
• Gardens For All: January (1986) Terry Underhill's garden in Rattery, focusing on wildlife.
• Gardens For All: Winter Colour (1987) Terry Underhill explores how much colour you can have in a garden during winter and visits an award-winning flower arranger who shows just how creative you can be to achieve this!
• There's No Business Like Gnomes Business (1990) The Noels family decided to start a very successful garden gnome business.
• Gardening For Butterflies: Elusive Butterflies (1977) What plants attract butterflies, breeding butterflies and encouraging planting for wildlife.
• Pride and Joy; Small Cottages (1989) Taking a look inside several small cottage gardens and their use of space and variety of plants

Online jigsaws

Enjoy the challenge of these online jigsaw puzzles [https://www.jigsawplanet.com/CoventryLibraries/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening].

Dig Into Reading Booklist

A list of recommended reads that will continue to grow. Email [mailto:libraries247@coventry.gov.uk?subject=Dig%20Into%20Reading%20book%20suggestion] your suggestions!