Our gardening clubs recently did a survey about the benefits of gardening. Here are five positive ways members say gardening can improve health and wellbeing. So why not get stuck in?

  1. Gardening will strengthen your physical health. Not only will increased outdoor activity boost your immune system, but gardening has also been shown to decrease the risk of heart diseases and strokes. It doesn’t replace a healthy diet though, so you’ll still need to watch that sugar and salt intake.
  2. Gardening is also great for mental health. Recent studies suggest that gardening can effectively prevent and treat common mental health issues including depression and Alzheimer’s disease. All our garden club members agree that gardening lifts your mood and makes you an all-around happier person.
  3. Gardening plays an important role in helping the environment. This is particularly the case as more and more front and communal gardens have been replaced by concrete parking spaces. Your garden can help provide habitat and important food sources to our butterflies, birds, bees and insects. The plants and trees in your garden help by purifying the air and therefore contribute to everyone’s well-being.
  4. All our garden club members agreed that gardening is extremely good for your self-esteem. Planting seeds and watching them bloom gives a great sense of accomplishment and boosts your confidence.
  5. A well cared for garden or outdoor space certainly shows you ‘Love where you live’ to the rest of the community and visitors. Our garden club members confirm that in many cases they got to know their neighbours through their gardening activities. Gardening definitely has helped our local communities grow together!

There are more gardening tips and stories on our newly launched Gardening Club blog: barnethomesgardeningclub.wordpress.com