All in the Mind

Gardening and mental health


Listen Later

Claudia Hammond reports on a trend which has emerged from the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show this year - a growing number of gardens designed with mental health in mind. So what is it about gardens and nature which makes us feel better?

The Mothers for Mothers "This Too Shall Pass" garden is designed by Polly Wilkinson - a former counsellor who's worked with adolescents and new mothers with anxiety and depression. The charity's CEO Maria Viner wanted to reflect the joys and pain of motherhood - so Polly constructed a pathway with a crack in it - which narrows and is almost "fixed", echoing the impact that peer support can bring. The lifting of low mood is also seen as muted green and blue flowers give way to apricots and pinks.

Sue Stuart- Smith is a psychiatrist, psychologist and now author of the bestselling book The Well Gardened Mind. She says it's hard to untangle the factors which might be contributing to the impact of nature on us. Dr Stuart-Smith explains how a study in the British Medical Journal found 8,000 studies on the impact of nature - but just 8 were randomised controlled trials. where people are randomly allocated gardening or another activity - so more research is needed.

The mental health charity Mind has its first ever garden at Chelsea this year which will be relocated in Barrow-in-Furness once the show is over. We hear from Alice - who had an eating disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder from an early age - and Faris, who has post-traumatic stress disorder, and sought asylum in the UK after he was orphaned in the conflict in Sudan. They say that growing vegetables and caring for bonsai plants has helped to relieve their symptoms.

The Place2Be garden will also be relocated at the end of the flower show - to Viking School in Northolt, west London. For the last 15 years the children there have been able to get support from the charity's school-based counsellor Miss Angela. CEO Catherine Roche says the garden will provide a safe space so the pupils relax during a busy day. The children helped to design the garden's oak benches with gardener Jamie Butterworth. He says having a mum who's a teacher and a dad who's a mental health nurse made the Place2Be the perfect match for him.

Made in Partnership with The Open University

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

All in the MindBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

56 ratings


More shows like All in the Mind

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,708 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

881 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,040 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

399 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,541 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,810 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,884 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,827 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,056 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,021 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,037 Listeners

Health Check by BBC World Service

Health Check

94 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

264 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

433 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

302 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

88 Listeners

All In The Mind by ABC

All In The Mind

795 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

248 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

148 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,155 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

66 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,636 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

51 Listeners

What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

What's Up Docs?

114 Listeners