The Duchess of Cambridge has teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) to publish activity cards to inspire children to get involved with gardens and nature.

Guides to creating fairy gardens, welly planters, leaf wands, a bug hotel and painted pebbles take inspiration from the RHS Back to Nature garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show which was co-designed by the duchess.

The series of five step-by-step guides, which include reusing old toys and boots and creating miniature scenes from the imagination, are designed to be low cost and do not require access to a private garden.

The Facebook garden won a gold medal (Tim Ireland/PA)
The Facebook garden won a gold medal (Tim Ireland/PA)

They take inspiration from the woodland garden at the world-famous horticultural event, which has a tree house, waterfall, rustic den, campfire and a hollow log for children to play on, and aims to help them “add a touch of Chelsea magic to their own homes”, the RHS said.

Kate has said she hopes the space will inspire families “to get outside” and “enjoy nature”, as being active outdoors has huge benefits on physical and mental well-being, especially for young children.

Alana Cama, schools and groups programme manager at the RHS, said: “We’re delighted to have been able to create a series of resources with the Duchess of Cambridge.

“Children can now take home a slice of the magical RHS Back to Nature Garden and create special memories with their families in the process.”

The Back to Nature garden is a display for the RHS and is not judged as part of the show, but the awards for other gardens have been announced.

Among the show gardens securing a prestigious gold medal is the Resilience Garden, which marks 100 years of the Forestry Commission and includes woodland, dry and damp zones, a pond and wildflower meadow.

The garden, created by Sarah Eberle, looks ahead to the threats facing woods of the future – including climate change and pests and diseases.

The M&G garden, the Morgan Stanley garden and the Welcome to Yorkshire garden also secured gold medals for show gardens.

Receiving gold for “space to grow” gardens, are Kampo no Niwa, Viking Cruises: The Art of Viking garden, The Montessori Centenary Children’s Garden, The Camfed Garden: Giving Girls in Africa a Space to Grow, and the Facebook: Beyond the Screen garden.

Among the artisan gardens, those securing the top gong are the Family Monsters garden, The High Maintenance garden for Motor Neurone Disease Association and the Green Switch garden.

Andy Sturgeon scooped the title of Best in Show for The M&G Garden, which celebrates nature’s power to regenerate landscapes with new growth and features a diverse range of plant species from around the world in its vibrantly green and lush planting.

Debut designer Alistair Bayford won the best in artisan category for the Family Monsters Garden and the best in space to grow has gone to Facebook: Beyond the Screen by Joe Perkins, another designer making his Chelsea debut.