Dying flowers and rotten vegetables will be the focal point of Garden Organic's daring display at this year's Chelsea Flower Show 2006 (May 23 to 27).

The aim of this exhibit, sponsored by NFU Mutual, is to show that creating compost should be the very first step for all gardeners. Garden Organic hopes this informative display will earn it a third Chelsea medal in as many years - having won a gold and silver in the Lifelong Learning Section of the last two shows.

Bob Sherman, Director of Gardens and Gardening, says: "Our exhibit will definitely stand out amidst all of the glitz and glamour of Chelsea. But we believe that compost should be the star of the show, because it is essential for any gardener who wants to grow thriving, healthy plants - and doesn't mind getting their hands dirty!"

Garden Organic wants to promote the fact that composting is a free and easy way for gardeners to create a fantastic fertiliser and soil conditioner. But even more importantly, the charity wants to raise awareness that home composting can have huge benefits for the environment.

As much as one third of kitchen and garden waste could be composted, rather being transported to our over-burdened landfill sites. As this type of waste rots down in landfill conditions, it produces pollution such as methane gas that contributes to global warming. Using home compost also helps to reduce the amount of peat extracted from vital wildlife sites.

Garden Organic's recent survey (conducted by MORI) suggests that many British garden owners may be missing out on the benefits of home composting. While 76 per cent of the respondents say they recycle their garden waste, only 40 per cent claim to feed their soil with garden compost. This would suggest that many gardeners are giving all of their green waste away, rather than saving it to improve the soil in their own gardens.