T&SG: RESILIENCE
‘Resilience’. How appropriate! This garden was designed for the postponed show in 2020, where ‘resilience’ was becoming one of the buzz words of the day (long before ‘pivot’ and ‘agile’ were a thing!). We already knew resilience was important, but did we ever realise just how much! MIFGS 2022 RELOAD! If 2019, 2020, and 2021 have taught us anything, it’s that resilience is absolutely critical. Who could’ve predicted the tumultuous and world changing events we have all been through? In Australia, it started with massive bushfires that rolled into a global pandemic, cancelled events, world record lockdowns, school closures, curfews, remote learning, business closures, border closures, isolation, quarantine, working from home, vaccinations, riots, more lockdowns, and even a bloody earthquake! How could any of us survive this without a level of resilience that we probably didn’t even realise we had? So just what does resilience actually mean? And why is it so important for us?
Firstly, let’s look at what it isn’t. Resilience isn’t never getting sick, or tired, or down, or sad, or overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted. Everyone experiences all these things, and even more so over the last two years. It’s a part of being human. We aren’t bulletproof. Resilient people experience and feel all these things too, BUT they have the ability to bounce back quicker. To refocus easier. To get over setbacks quickly, keep moving forward and striving for their best. And as a result, are happier and healthier more often. That sounds great. If resilience was sold in a store we would all be buying it! Of course, it isn’t, and it’s something we need to work on. There are many ways to improve resilience, and the good news is that plants and gardens can play a vital role. Humans have an intrinsic link to the natural world. Studies have shown that people who are exposed to plants and greenlife on a daily basis have much lower levels of stress, and higher levels of general health and wellbeing. People feel more relaxed, have improved mindfulness and typically better physical fitness. The combination of all this helps people to be more resilient. In an urban environment, sometimes having exposure to enough nature can be a challenge. But it doesn’t have to be. Residential gardens and trees, parks, streetscapes, street trees, shopping centres all have a part to play. The more green the better for individuals and the whole community. The recent lockdowns showed again just how important green spaces are, with people flocking to their local parks for some enjoyment,
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GROUNDSWELL MIFGS 2022
