‘It’s heartbreaking’

Many growers were offering contactless delivery or garden essentials last week under the previous lockdown rules.

But the tightening up on Sunday meant gardening and horticulture were no longer counted as essential work.

Queux Plant Centre owner Nigel Clarke lives on site with his wife, and they have been watering the two acres of plant themselves, as it means they do not come into contact with others or leave their property.

But he said he was more concerned about islanders’ mental health, rather than just the plants.

He was concerned that the lockdown would cause and exacerbate mental health problems and not enough consideration was being given to this issue.

‘We have people in their 90s at home, maybe with just a small garden,’ he said.

‘For their mental wellbeing, that space could be everything to them.

‘There will be so many people needing mental health support after isolation.

‘We have to look at ways of looking after people.’

He said gardening had been proven to be a good way to help people’s mental health, but the suddenness of the shutdown meant that people did not have tools – such as seeds and plants – to benefit from this.

Mr Clarke was doing contactless deliveries before the latest lockdown and had not been charging any delivery charge.

He felt that sort of system should have been allowed to continue.

‘Alcohol can be delivered,’ Mr Clarke noted.

He is still getting lots of calls from people he is not allowed to help.

‘It’s heartbreaking,’ he said.

One garden centre, which asked not to be identified, said they had been delivering until the change in rules and they were still getting lots of phone calls from islanders wanting to get plants, seeds and compost.

But under the current rules they cannot deliver.

A spokesperson for the site said they were not even allowed to water the plants, as it was not considered essential work.

‘We are doing what we are told to do,’ they said.

‘We just hope the lockdown is relaxed before the season is over. But it is difficult, as gardening is an important part of people’s wellbeing.’