WHY YOUR GARDEN IS SECRET OF TRUE HAPPINESS
As studies reveal that having an outdoor green space can boost your mood, horticulturist ANNE BRITT reveals her top tips for making the most of yours
FROM getting some exercise in the fresh air to making lunch with ingredients you’ve grown yourself, there are many benefits to having a garden. And with recent research revealing that 82 per cent of those with an outdoor space say it makes them happier, there has never been a better time to get greenfingered.
Another study, conducted by the Royal Horticultural Society, found that nine out of 10 people in the UK say that just looking at a garden lifts their mood and as a garden designer I certainly know this to be true.
After a bad day there’s not much an aromatic bank of lavender or the scent of a beautiful bed of roses can’t put right. There is science to back this up too. Research has revealed that hospital patients recover more quickly when they are given the chance to look at grass and trees.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Whether you want to calm down or give your social life a boost, the answer lies outside.
Read my top tips on how to make the most of your garden, no matter what size it is.
WORK UP A SWEAT
Keeping hedges and edges tidy and paths swept is the key to a goodlooking garden. Yet did you know that all that lifting, stretching and bending will provide you with a full body workout too? So get out into the garden at least once a week to trim back regrowth and ensure that your walkways are clear. It won’t matter then if the rest of the garden looks a bit chaotic as it will all be contained within a clipped formal outline.
All the exercise in the fresh air will do you no end of good as well.
FOLLOW YOUR NOSE
According to a recent study by Lenor, 60 per cent of people said the fragrance that made them happiest was their garden.
So make sure to choose plants that will give you bursts of scent all year round.
Azalea mollis is a bright yellow, funnel-shaped flower that has a beautiful scent and will come into bloom in May.
The button-centred rose Jacques Cartier flowers in June and has an exquisite fragrance.
Create an area of relaxation with a bank of lavender, which blooms from June onwards.
For an evergreen climber, try Chinese star jasmine, which has delicate white flowers that open in August.
Dot scented plants around your garden so as you walk around you are treated to an enticing mix of floral fragrances.
MAKE IT A SOCIABLE PLACE
Your garden should be an extension of your house that can be in use all year round. Patios, no matter how small, can hold a barbecue.
For long summer nights, make sure to have a bench that catches the evening sun. In winter, a beautiful summerhouse kitted out with comfortable chairs, pictures, lanterns and rugs will prove the perfect setting for a cosy chat.
Not only will a couple of wellchosen items mean you can use your garden all year round, it will make your house seem bigger too.
READY, STEADY, GROW
One of the most therapeutic things you can do is to grow something from scratch.
Start simple and sow some seeds on a sunny windowsill. I like to grow Cut And Come Again salad leaves (£1.99, unwins.co.uk), which I snip off with scissors and add to my sandwiches or salads.
Afterwards, keep them watered and they will regrow. Not only is it incredibly satisfying to watch something grow but you’ll save some pennies too.
IMPROVE YOUR VIEW
Studies reveal that office workers with an outdoor view have lower anxiety than those without.
Yet many people don’t make the most of what lies on the other side of their own windows.
Simple changes are all it takes. Make sure that you have a comfortable chair directly facing the best view of your garden.
Next, place a small table outside in view of your window and arrange some pretty pot plants on top.
On mine I currently have little pots of bulbs – grape hyacinths, tulips and scented narcissi, a pretty trailing ivy and a fossil that I found lying on a Dorset beach.