In May 2016 the Kings Fund published a report, ‘Gardens and health Implications for policy and practice’. This report was commissioned by the National Gardens Scheme. This report looks at the impact of gardens and gardening on health and wellbeing, and explores what the NHS and the wider health and social care system can do […]
Health
Biophilic urbanism: how rooftop gardening soothes souls
St Canice’s rooftop garden, where a horticultural therapy program demonstrated its benefits for mental health and wellbeing. Author provided Sara Wilkinson, University of Technology Sydney and Fiona Orr, University of Technology Sydney What do an engineer, a building surveyor and a mental health nurse have in common? The answer is a retrofitted rooftop garden. This […]
The science is in: gardening is good for you
Chris Williams, University of Melbourne As the weather warms and days lengthen, your attention may be turning to that forgotten patch of your backyard. This week we’ve asked our experts to share the science behind gardening. So grab a trowel and your green thumbs, and dig in. “That’s all very well put,” says Candide, […]
Health and Wellbeing
You can’t rush a garden, you have to take time, you have to respond to the seasons, the weather and wildlife. If allowed it teaches us much about how to deal with life, to have a vision, to plan, to prioritise, to deal with the conditions we find and seek to improve them, to […]
Stop making health and well-being a moral issue
Rafael Euba, King’s College London Applying a human moral construct to nature by dividing foods and lifestyles into good and bad is misleading. In reality, nothing in nature is either good or bad. For instance, our bodies need cholesterol for a variety of important purposes, while exercise and sports can be dangerous and even capable […]
Why gardening is good for your mind as well as your body
Carly Wood, University of Westminster More than half the planet’s population now live in cities, with limited access to the natural world. For Europe and Latin America, the figure is more than 70%. Yet contact with nature has numerous benefits for both our physical and mental health. Gardening is an opportunity for everyone to […]