Gardening is one of the country’s most popular pastimes with around 87% of households in the UK having their own garden. That means there are 23 million gardens countrywide and 35% of UK adults cultivate their own herbs, fruits, and vegetables and in 2021 three out of ten adults in the UK said they had their own vegetable patches in their gardens.
So how do plants help your brain?
Filling your home and garden with greenery can have many positive effects on your brain. Surrounding yourself with plants can improve your concentration by up to 20%, because they reduce CO2 levels and improve air quality. Plants can also increase our level of happiness hormones, such as endorphins. Seeing indoor plants change through the seasons can be a useful reminder of the time of year and the colour and the smell of a flower’s bloom can be calming.
Gardening can improve both your mental and physical health by keeping you active and it can also help people with dementia to relax. There are therapeutic benefits from gardening such as being outside and visiting garden centres. Being active is something that can be enjoyed by all. It helps to reduce social isolation which is linked to an increase in risk of developing dementia.
Gardening tasks such as watering plants, deadheading as well as growing your own fruit and vegetables can provide you with a sense of accomplishment. Other tasks such as pruning and mowing the grass can all increase your wellbeing.
As gardens need regular care, this can provide more physical activity which in turn can help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the risks of some cancers, Diabetes depression and heart disease. It boosts your mental health and helps protect your memory. When you garden, your brain is problem-solving, increasing your physical strength, fine-tuning your dexterity, enhancing your endurance, elevating your learning, and activating your sensory experience.
Healthline studies conducted in the United States have shown that gardening offers improvements in both self-esteem and mood. Many people have found that their anxiety levels drop, they feel less depressed, and their state of mind improves when they are gardening – and these effects can be long-lasting too
There are many reasons why spending time outdoors could really benefit people living with dementia including sufficient intakes of vitamin D. Lack of this vital vitamin is associated with a range of conditions including increased risk of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
A visit to a sensory garden can be a wonderful day out for people affected by dementia. A sensory garden is a self-contained garden area that allows visitors to enjoy a wide variety of sensory experiences. Sensory gardens are designed to provide opportunities to stimulate the senses, both individually and in combination, in ways that users may not usually encounter. You can now find Sensory Gardens at many local garden attractions. The many benefits associated with these gardens especially for those affected by dementia are
- Reigniting old memories and creating new ones
- Improved mood and emotional wellbeing
- Reduced feelings of stress
- Better physical health
Maybe have a go at making your own sensory garden, Kew Gardens have some tips. Gardens can be relaxing, helping us to de-stress at a time when we feel we need support. They give us a sense of achievement when we see the new buds and seedlings emerging and help to boost our confidence, but they are also a great conversation starter! It would be lovely to see some of your gardens, if you would like to send them to us, we can make a gallery of them and celebrate our summer.
