Green Spaces
“It is widely recognised that regular contact with plants, animals and the natural environment can improve our physical health and mental well-being. When we grow food and flowers, we are engaging with the natural world at a pace that provides a welcome antidote to the stresses of modern life.” Lang, T.
Today, we are increasingly aware of the value of our green spaces and gardens with regards to our mental and physical wellbeing. Gardens and nature both hold potential as green sanctuaries providing space and time to be; to reconnect with nature and with ourselves, this is nothing new.
But nature creates space to stop doing and start being, without judgment.
And the wonderful expansiveness of the natural world can hold us with all of our emotions through thick and thin, providing signs of hope in the darkest of times. Of course it is equally place to celebrate, to make and share special moments and memories for years to come.
With my clients I see the garden provides life and often sparks an inner seed of joy and interest. Colours, textures, tastes, sounds and wildlife continually flux in the garden throughout moments of the day as well as the course of the year, bringing a sometimes much needed and welcome distraction from life’s daily demands .
Sue Stuart-Smith describes this in her book The Well Gardened Mind
“The garden is a place that brings us back to the basic biological rhythms of life. The pace of life is the pace of plants; we are forced to slow down and the feeling of safe enclosure and familiarity helps shift us to a more reflective state of mind... The seasons come around again and we have a sense of return; some things are altered, some things stay the same.”
The garden gives us the opportunity to grow together through the seasons and a reason to look beyond ourselves. It can sometimes be a link to those we have loved and lost. Maybe we have inherited a favourite plant or someone’s green fingers or it might just provide the breathing space we need. A safe haven in which to feel and process challenging emotions without confines, criticism or self-consciousness. Equally it can be a special place to celebrate and make precious memories to hold dear for years to come.
The garden and the countryside have been a go-to-refuge throughout my own life. Having experienced bereavement at a young age the term ‘Mother Nature’ took on a tangible depth of meaning. Since then working over the years as a horticulturist, in all the elements, the rain and howling wind, scorching summer sun, pulling leaves and twigs from my hair at the end of the day, has at times mirrored an inner wilderness. Whilst persevering through each of the seasons, summer heat waves and winter snowfall has cultivated a sense of inner resilience. Watching new leaves unfurl in spring or cuttings begin to grow still provides endless intrigue and surprises. And outdoors, in the garden and the countryside, I am sometimes reminded of lost loved ones; memories land gently, reminding me of who I am and my place in the world.
