FEEL-GOOD GARDENING

Gardening is very therapeutic, says Annabelle Padwick, who reached out to social media to get others’ views on the subject

- Annabelle Padwick

It is good timing to talk about howgardening is good for health, as NationalGrowing for Wellbeing Week (June 7-13)takes place this month! The week is all about celebrating how wonderful growing our own fruit and vegetables can be for our physical and mental health. Staying calm, positive and feeling in control can seem very tricky at times, but growing your own food can definitely help. The simple motions of sowing seeds, raking soil and pulling weeds get us moving, slow down our mind and encourage us to look to the future.

So, I thought we could celebrate by sharing a few of our favourite plants and activities that help us de-stress or lift our spirits. I reached out to some great friends and wonderful people across social media and here is what they said:

“Transplanting to create interesting textural groupings. Propagation. Free plants! Planning and buying. Weeding. Absolute favourites are growing from seed, dead-heading, smelling the fragrances, taking photos.”

These were the thoughts of a lady called Joan on Twitter, but it also encapsulates the views I received from many others too.

LIFTING SPIRITS

“Seed sowing is calming, adds a sense of anticipation to your life, checking each day to see what’s germinated,” says Adam Pasco. I definitely think sowing seeds is one of the many aspects of gardening that makes me smile the most, alongside seeing them pop up through the soil.