Gardens can be our sanctuaries. Private spaces to enjoy, secluded areas to immerse ourselves in, away from the world. So I find it so heartening that so many of you have signed up to share your garden spaces.

People want to share gardens for a variety of reasons, but for a lot of people with garden space, it might be the case that they can’t manage it, don’t use the space or want to meet people who will make better use of it. Whatever the reasons why people share? There is always a great deal of kindness in wanting to.

Sharing gardens can not only benefit people, but in the mutual exchange, it also benefits the place; makes it more beautiful and by adding plants we can be kind to pollinators too.

Take a look at what kind of garden spaces are currently available:

Imagine immersing yourself in the pastoral charm of the gardens @thelodge_essex

Will’s garden above in Poole, Dorset is already suitable for the next growing season, with established beds!

Check out the Lend and Tend map to see where gardens are currently available nationwide.

What about the people who want to share other people’s gardens? What kind of people want to share gardens?

Some potential garden Tenders are city dwellers who yearn for a taste of the good life, people who’d love to try growing their own food and have had to make do on window sills. Some people might even have some balcony space and want to go from the heights of fashionable flower planting in containers to putting down roots and growing at ground level.

A small stylish balcony garden full of well kept plants, a wrought iron balustrade with hanging plants and a monochrome mosaic tile floor, overlooking red brick appartments on a clear sunny day. A blue watering can sits on a pink and yellow stool. — Look at what @LondonBalcony can do in a small space, imagine the kind of potential creativity that would be possible in a bigger garden!

There are also people out there who are learning to garden, perhaps may even be quite proficient, on permaculture courses and may need a testing ground for their ideas.

A sunny window with the venetian blind open and the windowsill full of tomato plants — @piedi_x_terra creates Earth-kind regenerative garden designs and would love more space to grow beyond a windowsill full of tomatoes

Then there are the folks who just want to volunteer their time in their communities and help those that need help in the garden, without wanting much in return except the enjoyment of being outside and connecting with the earth.

Woman with red hair, wearing a black cap, t-shirt and denim shorts sits on a red tractor. — @chackaz might be dreaming of gardening on a grand scale but a share of someone’s garden will do for now.

Knitted pumpkins will have to do until @palustrxne finds a Patch-Match to garden-share.

There are also a number of other reasons why people would want to spend time and effort in other people’s gardens when they don’t own the space, but again the common ground here is kindness.

Before embarking on any garden-sharing relationship, it’s always a good idea for Lenders and Tenders to have a chat over the phone, or now that we’re all a bit more used to it, meet up via a video call meeting like Zoom to make sure that both you and the garden Lender or garden Tender are happy to proceed.

Of course, as with entering into any agreement, there are risks to consider. With the kindest respect to all garden-sharers, Lend and Tend as a voluntary project, does not assume any responsibility for any loss to property or injury to any persons embarking on garden-sharing.

So, to help you establish ‘ground rules’ there are template agreements to help to establish your wishes before you establish the garden and there are some FAQs and tips on getting started on the site.

It would just be a dream come true to get all of you new and old, Lenders and Tenders Patch-Matched.

By signing up to garden share, unfortunately, there are no guarantees of finding a Patch-Match and it may also mean being on the waiting list for a while, but you can keep your eye on the map to see what activity is happening in your area.

Please do spread the word via social media and word of mouth and hopefully, all of the amazing gardens that are currently available can be put to good use and enjoyed. This means all of the amazing garden Tenders out there, who are kindly offering their help in exchange for some space to grow, can benefit too.

If you know of a nice cafe or community space that would be kind enough to help us spread the word, you can share this poster with them.

As ever, thank you kindly, truly for sharing my passion for sharing gardens and I hope to get you all garden-sharing soon.