I have always known that being in the garden can help boost my mood and make me feel better, but I was never sure why. It goes back to my childhood when I spent a lot of time with my two sets of grandparents, who all loved gardening. Tidy Nan and Grandad had the classic 70s garden - bedding plants, a tidy lawn (with stripes of course), a path to one side, and a washing line. There was also a greenhouse at the end, and it was my job to open it up in the morning, do the watering and check for any ripe tomatoes, which I loved. They also had an allotment where I spent many happy and safe hours.
If I wasn't with my tidy grandparents, I was down the road at Scruffy Nan and Grandad's, who had an overgrown wilderness outside their back door. There was a big pond and yucca plants dotted in the wilder planting. At the bottom of the garden there were two aluminium greenhouses - one was full of cacti and the other coleus - which is where I first learned to propagate. I used to set up a stall outside their house selling my plants to passers-by! Wonderful times, but never once did I think this connection with gardening would provide me with a tool kit that I could dip into in later life when things got tough.
Growing awareness
Over the past few years, many of us have realised there is power in the space outside our back doors. It's spoken about a lot more in the media now, and I'm even working with the NHS to help create gardens for hospitals, which are incredibly important.
On a personal level, I have struggled with my mental health throughout my life and have found that working physically through things has always helped.
Esta historia es de la edición February 2023 de Gardeners World.
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Esta historia es de la edición February 2023 de Gardeners World.
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A new plot for tasty crops
Taking on a new allotment needn't be hard work. By simply following a few easy tips you can have bumper crops in no time, just like Alessandro Vitale
We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
Now, at the height of summer, Frances Tophill shows how to boost your plants' health and productivity with a timely cut
Hassle-free harvests
Flowers are out in abundance this month and for Jack Wallington, many of these blooms make delicious, low-effort pickings
Bite-sized bounties
Glorious doorstep harvests can easily turn into gluts, so let Rukmini Iyer's recipes help you savour every last bit
Upcycled outdoor living
Create unique and stylish garden features for minimal cost using reclaimed materials and simple DIY skills. Helen Riches shares four step-by-step projects and more inspiring eco tips
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Buildings and landscapes can play a vital role in supercharging your space, as Nick Bailey demonstrates
Greening up a city balcony
Looking for sustainable, small-space gardening ideas? Take inspiration from Oliver Hymans' transformed balcony garden in north-east London - now a lush, green haven for humans and wildlife
The dry and mighty garden
As we adapt our gardens to a more volatile climate, Alan Titchmarsh reveals how to create a drought-tolerant plot and picks his top plant performers
Nature knows best
Carol Klein explains how to choose plants for specific growing conditions, based on what has naturally adapted to thrive there