For a fun project this Easter, I challenge you to create your very own plot-on-a-plate! This is a creative, crafty activity for kids and adults alike, and you could even win a prize at the end of it!
The last time I created one of these, I was a child attending a flower show with my grandparents! Although I was desperate to enter the adult classes at the flower show, I could only enter the ones for those in my age group – but I won a prize in my class, and that only spurred me on to bigger and better things within the gardening world!
This year, I’m revisiting my roots and I’m particularly proud to be a judge for this initiative, set to be awarded to coincide with the usual RHS Chelsea Flower Show period.
How to create your plot-on-a-plate
Simply pull a dinner plate, or side plate, out of your cupboard and level it off with soil or compost.
Next, build up pathways using gravel from outdoors, or rice and lentils. Perhaps you also want to create a pond or lake; foil can be used for that.
Build up your garden by looking around outdoors for flowers and plants, or snip a few pieces of your houseplants, focusing on leaves and flowers with small features. You can create hedges, lawn using moss, and colourful borders with all manner of blooms!
If you like the sound of this challenge, get involved by creating your own plot-on-a-plate! You could win a goodie bag from Candide Gardening PLUS a yearly Chelsea Physic Garden pass. To find out about the rules and how to enter, click here.

Michael has been involved with gardening and plants since he was just five years old. He is a self-professed Plant Geek, and was listed in the Sunday Times top 20 most influential people in the gardening world, thanks to his plant hunter role at Thompson & Morgan.
Michael was responsible for new plant introductions such as the Egg and Chips plant and the FuchsiaBerry and keeps busy travelling the world in search of new plants as well as lecturing worldwide, including stints in Japan. He is very active on social media – so why not give him a follow at @mr_plantgeek or Facebook. You can also listen to The Plant Based Podcast with Michael and co-host Ellen-Mary on iTunes, Spotify and Google.