Gardening

An oasis of wellbeing

How gardening affects human health

The events of last year have changed many things, not least our appreciation of the natural world. Interest in gardening increased in 2020 as we all became more aware of its benefits for physical and mental wellbeing and as an antidote to the chaos around us.

Long before the appearance of Covid 19, the RHS was at the forefront of research, studying how gardens and gardening affects human health and looking at the ‘ecosystem services’ – or benefits – that gardens and green spaces provide. Studies have shown that connection with the natural world is good for both physical and mental health. Nature has such a life enhancing effect, comparable to a vitamin: Vitamin G (Green), vital to keep our bodies healthy. People without easy access to a green space are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, depression and anxiety than those living within walking distance of a park, garden or other natural environment. The suggestion is that prescribing time gardening or walking in a natural green space can be beneficial in treating these conditions. During the last few months, I think most of us have found that just a short exposure to nature improves our mood and lowers stress levels. Therapists in the UK are beginning to use horticultural programmes to treat a range of mental health conditions and marginalised groups, such as young offenders, report increased feelings of self-worth and belonging while engaged in similar schemes. Caring for a green space, even if it is just a few pots on a balcony or a window box, has been proven to nurture a sense of ownership, control, connection and responsibility helping to boost selfconfidence and a feeling of positivity. Community gardening introduces a vital social element, itself essential to wellbeing, helping to connect people from all walks of life. This is the fourth year of the RHS partnership with NHS England to promote the positive role that gardens and green spaces play in healthcare. Each year, the RHS Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show is relocated to a Mental Health Trust in England, providing a place where staff and patients can garden, relax and be close to nature. In 2019 the ‘RHS Back to Nature Garden’ co-designed by the Duchess of Cambridge, was relocated to the Dewnans centre in Dawlish.

Since 2019, the NHS has officially included social prescribing in its long-term plan. When the RHS acquired their new garden at Bridgewater, Salford, we took the opportunity to create a therapeutic garden and to appoint our first therapeutic gardener. Although the garden is not yet open to the public, people have already been referred

through ‘social prescribing’ by their doctors and the wellbeing programme is looking at ways therapeutic gardening, gardens and green spaces can transform people’s lives.

Apart from the obvious benefits to physical health that gardening offers such as increased fitness, studies have shown that getting your hands dirty is good for you. Micro-organisms in the soil help to make our immune systems more efficient. Many scientific studies show a clear link between childhood exposure to microbes in the soil and higher immunity rates as adults, an excellent reason for persuading the kids to help in the garden. At Rosemoor, our community allotment scheme ticks all the boxes – it brings people together that want to get their hands dirty; it provides participants with healthy food and gives them selfconfidence and self-esteem through being responsible for their own plot and successfully producing their own vegetables. While we all wait for a ‘new normal’, try to get out at least once a day and re-connect with nature. A walk in the woods or next to water helps soothe the mind, digging the soil or just planting a window box will help your mental and physical wellbeing. Make it a habit for life, and you are sure to feel the benefits.

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Top tips for early spring

• Plant summer-flowering bulbs such as lilies and alliums in pots. • Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials. This will reinvigorate your plants and provide you with lots of new ones.

• Prune and feed hungry roses and tie in climbers and ramblers.

• Keep weeds under control – if you start early, it will make it easier later in the season.

• When the weather gets warmer, sow new lawns or repair bare patches.

Sheila Dearing Garden Technical Services Officer RHS Rosemoor