Gardening for wellbeing

As the pressures of modern living bear down, our outside spaces can provide soothing respite for our minds and bodies, says Arit Anderson

- Arit Anderson

From my first job up until just a few years ago, I studied and worked part-time as a holistic therapist. I am driven by a sense that if people feel good, the world will be a better place.

In days gone by we would be sent to the seaside or the countryside to convalesce when unwell. With the stresses of modern living, how and where can we receive respite and revitalisation on a daily basis? If we are lucky enough to have one, the garden can be our daily dose of medicine to not only work the body, but also soothe the mind and feed the soul. Our gardens, balconies or even windowsills can be the foundation for good health if we imbue them with plants and design features through mindful attention.

Gardens and nature have been at the centre of health and well-being for aeons. We've seen them embedded in religion since the Garden of Eden, to Islamic paradise gardens to medieval monastic gardens. They have quite literally been our medicine, as scholars studied plants in the physic gardens of old, making plant-based concoctions to heal ailments of the body and mind. The perspective of religious reverence or scientific evidence has shifted balance in more recent years as science has been able to measure why gardens and gardening are good for us.

I'm a trustee of the National Garden Scheme, a charity that asks passionate garden owners to share their plot with enthusiastic visitors, all for the price of a modest entry fee, and of course, hopefully also the purchase of tea and cake! This simple act of enjoyment raises more than £3m each year, which is then distributed to healthcare charities to help those in need. The garden is the epicenter of wellness, just as it was in times of old.

So what is it about the garden that so many of us are enchanted by, love, or at times feel addicted to? Let's take a look at that impact on three different levels.