Gardens can be beneficial both for the environment and wildlife. They’re great for humans as well, as per the increasing amount of research.
Gardening is a lengthy and entwined tradition with medicine and science. Through the ages, gardens have been the source of not only food for the table, but also of remedies for common illnesses. Certain of these remedies remedies, like St John’s wort for depression and willow for headaches have been accepted in the modern age of science. What are the advantages of gardening and the garden itself? Have they been proven? And what are the best ways you make the most of them?
It is increasingly accepted that green spaces and gardens are often associated with better social, physical and mental well-being (1) . British doctor Sir Muir Gray famously said that everyone should have a ” Natural Health Service’ as well as National Health Service.
The issue remains on how we integrate gardening and gardens into the daily life for all. The NHS is, as of January 2019, officially included gardening in its services. Social prescribing in the course of Long Term Plan (2) . As the population grows older and healthcare costs increase increasing, preventative and social prescribing healthcare are likely to gain greater importance.
There is a potential gardener to take on an important part in improving the mental health of our country and well-being. At present, the RHS is conducting research to find out how to maximize the benefits to health of gardening.
Get the benefits of exercise in a variety of ways exercising
The benefits of spending time gardening go beyond exercising. A King’s Fund report on the health benefits of gardening was discovered to be wide and varied, with research studies showing that gardening has significant benefits. improvements in depression and anxiety and better social functioning (5) . Gardening is also a great way to maintain autonomy and stop cognitive decline. Tokyo as well as Exeter Universities also found solid evidence (6) to promote the positive effects of gardening on our health, calling on health organizations to encourage gardening.
This study, which is specific to gardening and gardens is increasingly confirming the knowledge we have about green space (7) generally – that includes in general – which includes private gardens, the national parks, urban parks, and wilderness areas.
Learn more about our campaign to combat social isolation.
Grow Social makes use of gardening to reduce barriers to help those who feel lonely.
Greens are everywhere: evidence that green space improves your health
In 2014, Researchers at The University of Exeter Medical School looked at mental health information from more than 1,000 urban residents. They utilized high-resolution mapping to determine the locations where the individuals resided for 18 years. They discovered that those who live near green spaces have reported less mental stress (8) Even after accounting for the amount of income, education, and job. The year 2009 saw a group of Dutch researchers discovered a lower rate of 15 diseases – such as anxiety, depression as well as diabetes, heart disease migraines, and asthma – among those living within a half-mile of green spaces.
The RHS Research and programs for practical use confirm these findings. In fact, there were four out of five teachers who took part in the RHS Campaign for School Gardening It was reported the gardening program has made a substantial positive impact on health and well-being.
In 2017 the RHS joined forces in 2017 with NHS to raise awareness of the role that gardens play in well-being and mental health. In the years 2018 and 2019, we donated the gardens that were part of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to Highgate Mental Health Centre and to Dewnans Centre in Devon. We will collaborate in the near future to determine if access to the garden aids in the process of healing and decreases the length of stay for patients. Studies have shown that patients who are in rooms with views of nature are able to recover more quickly (10) more than those facing buildings.
