Discover the country's 100-year love affair with growing food at a venue in South London. Ideal for a trip out and packed with interest for all those with or without a garden, Patsy Payne explores the good life and reveals the Garden Museum is a treasure trove of horticultural know-how that deserves to be nurtured...

The Good Life

Until March 7 there is time to experience The Good Life in an exhibition at the Garden Museum that is dedicated to grow-your-own.

With the added pressure of recession and general belt-tightening, many of us have grown our own for the first time.

Allotments have become in short supply as demand has risen and gardens have changed from floral creations to well fertilised beds where potatoes, onions and sprouts have all succeeded.

Seed sales have rocketed and those with a greenhouse (or sunny windowsill) have thrilled at the sight of their first home-grown seedlings.

No surprise to find that The Good Life has really taken off in a big way.

Your trip to the Lambeth museum will take you on a journey from the Allotment Act of 1908 through the Second World War's Dig for Victory campaign and the Self-Sufficiency movement of the 1970s through to the present day. All with the help of paintings, photographs, personal memoirs and even the odd home-spun sweater, it will tell the story of why, how and what we have grown.

The exhibits will also take visitors through the highs and lows of produce gardening and how the world of allotments and community gardening is shaping up for the future.

From a 1918 medal for vegetable growing in the trenches to a pamphlet on how to 'grow your own smokes', you'll uncover some amazing facts and stories.

There's also the opportunity to record whether you feel the current boom is just a credit-crunch fad or whether we really want to change the way we eat for good.

Entry to the exhibition is free with museum admission. See the lowdown.

More to see

There's much more to see as the Garden Museum explores and celebrates British gardens and gardening.

Situated on the South Bank of the Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament, the museum has a spectacular home in the former St Mary-at-Lambeth Parish Church.

Plants and shrubs introduced by gardeners to Charles I are planted in a centrepiece of the garden – a 17th century style knot garden, offering year-round interest.

The Potting Shed

There is plenty to interest contemporary gardeners with practical seasonal gardening advice in an imaginative setting.

There's also a programme of events, talks, children's activities and plant fairs run throughout the year.

The shop offers a range of perfect presents for those who love gardens and the café serves delicious freshly-made vegetarian food.

Walled garden

The museum gardens provide a peaceful retreat for both visitors and wildlife alike and while traffic whizzes by outside the garden walls, inside visitors enjoy the garden at whatever level they choose in this relaxing environment.

Collection

Today the Garden Museum holds more than 9,000 objects, each one of which in some way represents British gardens and gardening, covering the subject in its broadest form.

Fascinating displays including paintings, photographs and ceramics made several hundred years ago. The Victorian and Edwardian periods are particularly well represented in the collection while there is also a good representation of gardening since 1950.

History

Formally known as the Museum of Garden History, its aim since its dramatic transformation 14 months ago is to become a leading national venue for exhibitions, debate on gardens and garden design.

It was founded after the rediscovery of the tomb of 17th century plant hunters, in the churchyard of St Mary-at-Lambeth which led John and Rosemary Nicholson to save the church from demolition, founding the museum in 1977.

While the original building is one of great beauty, its original purpose was not to house a historic collection and as the 20th century wore on St Mary's struggled to work as a modern museum.

In October 2007 a competition for the design of a new interior was organised. The winner, London-based architects Dow Jones, devised a free-standing timber structure to create a contemporary space, including the first gallery in Britain for exhibitions in garden design.

The makeover was complete when, to reflect the constantly evolving nature of gardening, the Museum of Garden History became the Garden Museum.

The lowdown...

Address: The Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7LB

Opening hours: 10.30am to 5pm Sunday to Friday, 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Closed the first Monday in each month.

Admission: £6, £5 concessions, free for Under 16s, friends and carers of disabled visitors.

Getting there: Nearest mainline station is Waterloo. Other mainline station Victoria. Tube: Vauxhall, Lambeth. Buses to Lambeth Road: 3 and 344 Buses to Lambeth Palace Road: C10 and 77. Also 507 (weekdays).