ADAM FROST'S GARDENING FOR HEALTH

A happy head It's becoming increasingly recognised that gardening can boost our mood when we're feeling down, but why? Adam Frost explores the role gardening can play in improving our mental health

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.