Most of us will know that spending time outdoors surrounded by nature tends to lift our mood or make us feel better if we’ve been a little low. But now Natural England has published research showing that even just spending time in your garden can be good for your mental and physical health.
The study, which has been published in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal, revealed that those who spend time in the garden are “far more likely to report general good health, higher psychological wellbeing and greater physical activity levels” than people who don’t spend time in the garden, the Metro reported.
In particular, the study found that higher psychological wellbeing was associated with having access to a private garden, compared to those who had no access to their own outdoor space.
The researchers also found that people who regularly spend time in their gardens are also more likely to visit other outdoor spaces, such as public parks, once a week than those who don’t have a garden or who don’t use the space.
Dr Sian de Bell, lead author of the study from the University of Exeter Medical School, commented: “Our findings suggest that, whilst being able to access an outdoor space such as a garden or yard is important, using that space is what really leads to benefits for health and wellbeing”.
If you have a garden that you don’t use much at the moment, maybe now is the perfect time to think about how you’d like to use it and what changes you can make to the space so that it better suits your lifestyle.
Anyone who’s not sure where to begin can get help with landscaping in Chester, or wherever you live. Tapping into the expertise of a landscape gardener will mean that you not only get a garden that you love using, but also that it’s designed to make the most of the space you have available.
The study’s authors also stated that this stresses the importance of including gardens in new urban developments and making sure that people have access to their own outdoor space.
Given that we’ve all been spending a lot of time at home lately, you might have noticed how much potential your garden has and be keen to get stuck into making it more usable.
If so, you’re not alone, with Insider reporting that nearly three quarters of UK homeowners have been using their time in lockdown to carry out DIY tasks, according to research by Confused.com.
The news provider also pointed out that just over half (54 per cent) of those questioned are focusing their attention on their garden. The most common tasks were painting fences and laying decking, but there are clearly a host of other jobs you could do to spruce up your outdoor space.
You could clean your patio, introduce some new plants to your flower beds or even set up a vegetable patch if you want to be more sustainable and grow your own produce.