Gardens that improve our lives
In May, I wrote about the start of the Flower Show season and what we can all learn from looking at those fabulous show gardens, whether in person or on television. By the time you read this at the beginning of June, of course, the biggest of them all, the Chelsea Flower Show, will have finished. But as always, I’m writing my monthly column in advance so I have not seen any of the gardens yet, except for the usual preview artists’ impressions. So I cannot write about the gardens, but what I can point out is that 15 this year were supported by Project Giving Back. This is a philanthropic organisation that gives UK based charities funding to commission a garden at the Chelsea Flower Show to raise awareness of their work via the global horticultural stage. Why am I writing about this? Well gardening, of course, is a great way to represent a message in a beautiful physical form; to draw people’s attention to an issue or a cause. And whilst I’m all in favour of that, as long as it does not detract from the garden and turn it into some unrealistic, unattainable political statement, one of the other points about these gardens for good causes is that many are focused on mental or physical illnesses, not just raising awareness but demonstrating how green spaces and gardens can be so good for our wellbeing. And that is what I am really interested in. Many, many column centimetres have been written about the restorative nature of green spaces, so no need for me to add to that. But there is also oodles of research evidence showing that in addition to just being in a green space, the actual activity of gardening, the getting our hands into the soil, really connecting with nature rather than just looking at it, is great for our wellbeing. Add to that the sense of creating something, whether that is a beautiful garden design, flowers for cutting or growing vegetables, and the sense of achievement, of planting a seed or a potato and seeing the green leaves appear above the ground.
The point that I do want to make is that many of the gardens that we see, including some of those this year at Chelsea, that are focused on health are described as calming, quiet, contemplative with designs to match. These are of course very beautiful and lovely to sit in, If what you need are calm, quiet, contemplative moments to destress, but that is only one type of wellbeing, and one type of garden. The key to making the most of your own garden is to match the two together. Maybe you have plenty of calm, quiet, contemplative time in your life and what you want is a space for entertaining to invite friends, to have parties, for children to play.
Maybe the thing that lifts your heart is the satisfaction of growing, picking and eating fruit and vegetables, in which case maybe your wellbeing garden looks nothing like the show sanctuary, but like an allotment (because that’s what it is). Even if you do wish to sit, then why not add in the joy of nature. with plenty of bright flowers all through the season to attract pollinating insects and butterflies, shrubs with berries and feeders for the birds. Maybe you want a summer house to remind you of holidays. All of these things can be in a garden for wellbeing. It does not have to have a particular message and it does not have to be all green, white and blue, calming and reflective, unless that is what you want. Anything that raises awareness of a multiplicity of good causes has to be a good thing. But let us not get carried away with the single idea that a garden is only good for you if it is a sanctuary garden. Plough your own furrow, make your own garden, fill it with noise and joy, and have a great summer gardening.
Happy Gardening from Alison