Nation of Gardeners iana Herniman is the local DBuckinghamshire representative for the Mr Fothergill's Nation of Gardeners campaign . 16 amateur gardeners across the UK have been taking part in the campaign, trialling plants on behalf of Mr Fothergill's seeds, with the aim of creating a 'growing map' of the country. The map will become an essential tool for both gardeners and garden centres, taking into account the changing weather conditions and growing conditions across the country, and helping gardeners plant and plan more accurately. I visited Diana at home in Olney, and was introduced to the wide selection of plants she's been cultivating for the Nation of Gardeners campaign. A relative newcomer to gardening, Diana had only recently started getting interested in gardening when she saw the advert asking for people to get involved with the campaign . ' I thought I'd just giveitatryandseeifIwasanygoodatit', she explained, 'It's been really enjoyable, especially talking to the other people who are also doing it and comparing how they're doing. We have a Facebook page where we can talk about what we're doing and ask each other questions, I didn't know a lot to start with but I'm learning. Most of what I've learnt has been from just doing it my way, it's all good fun! ' The gardeners have been sent the same parcels of seeds and been asked to plant them on the same week across the country, in order to make the experiment as reliable as possible, and to allow comparisons to be made across the different places. John Fothergill, Mr Fothergill's Seeds Limited's joint managing director, explains: "Members communicate online and via social media, giving regular updates on how the plants and seeds are performing." This provides real- time updates on the progress of the plants around the country and allows people to see how well certain plants are growing in their area. The campaign also includes seasonal tests,testing the difference between growing & •Fuel Merchants •Ironmongers •Hardware •Pet Supplies May Offer 3x60ItrMultiPurposeCompostfor£10+OtherCompostOffers 01234 711 336 84 High Street • Olney • Bucks • MK46 4BE 70 Phonebox Magazine