“We tend to spend a lot of time inside now, all looking at screens and wondering why we’re deeply unhappy. The answer is, get gardening.”
When Dame Joanna Lumley speaks, we listen. Especially when she’s hitting the nail on the head when it comes to the proven effects of getting outdoors and communing with nature more.
The Absolutely Fabulous icon shared her belief in the transformative power of nature while attending this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, where she hailed nature as “the redemption of us all”.
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And whether it’s taking a few hours each week to sort your garden out or even just spending some time tending to balcony plants for those with limited space, Joanna isn’t wrong – there are plenty of garden activities proven to be mood boosting and beneficial to your mental health.
Speaking to Fothergill’s at the Chelsea Flower Show, Joanna praised the “extraordinary effect” of gardening, pointing out that it’s actually not a new trend at all, but nature has been a healing element since time began.
She said, “I do believe that gardening or being with plants or being in the outside air, maybe just even walking through a wood, has the most extraordinary effect on you.”
She added that people can reap the benefits whether they “plant something or change the look of something, cut something, trim something, prune something, encourage something”.
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“It’s become very voguish to say now that gardening is good for mental health [but] it’s been that way for years, for centuries actually, since time began. You would come in from a day outside and you’d feel a day had been lived.”
Touching on a growing concern for many, Joanna is aware that the structure and convenience of modern life is making it easier for many of us to neglect nature.
“We tend to spend a lot of time inside now, all looking at screens and wondering why we’re deeply unhappy. The answer is, get gardening. Even if it’s only a pot, even if it’s only a flannel with mustard and cress growing on it, get gardening.”
She continued, “See what nature can bring you because it’s the redemption of us all. It’s what the great power is, the power of life and the power of gardening.”
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There’s plenty of research to back up Joanna’s claims, too. In 2021, ScienceDirect released research revealing that those who garden every day have wellbeing scores 6.6% higher and stress levels 4.2% lower than people who don’t garden at all.
So, whether you’d be motivated to spend more time in your garden if you were emulating some of the trends from this year’s Chelsea Flower Show or you’re a beginner looking for easy tips to get started, there’s no time like the present.
Your future self will thank you for laying down the roots for a happier, healthier you.
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