The benefits of gardening and horticulture

Gardening is unique as a job, a hobby or even as a form of therapy as it combines a number of benefits into one activity.

As we garden, we may be:

• exposing ourselves to sunlight, which is important for maintaining healthy vitamin D levels in the body and has been shown to lower blood pressure

• socially interacting with others, reducing feelings of isolation, loneliness and in some instances helping to alleviate some of the negative impact of mental health disorders such as anxiety

• engaging in mental and physical activity - staying active daily has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia

• forming deep connections to our natural surroundings and community - proven to have a positive influence on us and the environment

In recent years, the number of people seeking help for their mental health problems has sky-rocketed to numbers the NHS is struggling to cope with - in 2022 it was reported that over a million people in the UK were on waiting lists for such services. But as the benefits of gardening, horticulture and simply spending time engaging in 'green' and 'blue' spaces gain traction and support from the scientific community, more people are either turning to or being referred to gardening, not only to buffer the strain on services, but to try and reduce symptoms and the stress that comes with waiting when you feel unwell.