If all of London is getting ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics, London's famed public gardens won't be left out. New at Kew Gardens is this floral spectacular, the Olympic rings composed of more than 20,000 plants. The installation took five days to plant, and consists of several Viola varieties.

Photo © Lewis Whyld/Getty Images

Little girls learning about flower gardening from their mothers and grandmothers have a new reason to celebrate the hobby. Disney has sparkled its pixie dust on gardening products for little girls: a collection of flower seeds and plant labels that feature an assortment of Disney princess characters. (Dirt-loving boys weren't left out of the equation; Mickey and friends hawk veggie seeds for all genders.) Flowers include easy-to-grow favorites like cosmos, four-o'-clocks, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias.

Flower lovers in the UK are preparing for the Harrogate Flower Show, running April 26-29 in North Yorkshire. Eight display gardens offer inspiration for home gardeners and professional landscape designers. With no set theme this year, show attendees can take away ideas from such varied plots as a pocket-sized writer's garden retreat, to a bird-friendly landscape.

Professional florists will also shine at the show, with more than 160 arrangements ranging from ikebana to the latest wedding flower trends. The show hours run from 9:30 to 5:30 each day, and admission prices run from £8 to £16.

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As I dug through an old craft box this weekend looking for supplies for my sons' school project, I was forced to face the detritus of many abandoned hobbies. An attempt at crocheted socks that turned into a pair of ugly doilies; yards of fabric now out of style; a bag of fiberfill for a pillow that was never stitched. One characteristic of flower gardening that makes it such a popular and accessible hobby is the absence of barriers to entry. You don't need to take a class (although it can be fun), and you don't need to purchase an expensive piece of equipment to start a flower garden. Borrow a shovel if you don't already own one, and start your first flower garden this week! Even a single container or 2x3 foot patch of ground can serve as a starting point: just look at this mailbox garden or fairy garden for inspiration.

Photo © Jamie McIntosh