Harness nature's healing powers in your garden

Nature is a great healer and it's high time that we all recognised its mood-enhancing and health-giving powers, says Chris Baines

Reproduced from the July 07 issue of Gardeners' World magazine. This month's on sale now. Subscribe now by direct debit and save 25 per cent.

As gardeners, we instinctively feel that contact with nature makes us feel better. So it's reassuring to know that science supports this. And that, with a little extra effort, we can attract more wildlife to our gardens and enjoy the health benefits without even leaving home.

Nature's remedy

Florence Nightingale had put two and two together as long ago as the 1860s. She placed fresh flowers on her wards and brought in pets to comfort her patients. When St Thomas's Hospital was built beside the Thames in London, she insisted on low-level windowsills so that the bedridden could benefit from the views.

More recently, Professor Roger Ulrich, working in the USA, has compared patients with similar medical conditions to those of Nightingale's and has shown that those who were able to observe nature recovered more rapidly and needed fewer painkillers.

The beneficial effect of nature in reducing stress is measurable. Move from a tense situation - a high-pressure meeting, busy traffic or a family row - into leafy, green surroundings and within three or four minutes the pulse rate slows and the forehead muscles relax.

The pressures of modern life and the fortune spent on stressrelieving pharmaceuticals, means the case for more wildlife in our gardens is irresistible. I know that a few minutes by my garden pond, surrounded by birdsong, can leave me feeling thoroughly relaxed.

Natural surroundings also provide physical health benefits. Some 200 years ago, landscape architect JC Loudon talked about the need for 'breathing places' in industrial towns and, since then, parks and gardens have often been referred to as the 'lungs of our cities'. Trees and shrubs work as filters, shading out UV rays, solar radiation and absorbing some harmful gases. And by trapping dust and soot particles, they significantly improve the quality of the air that we breathe.

Go green and keep fit

With asthma, heart and lung disease, obesity and osteoporosis on the increase, we are all being encouraged to exercise more regularly. The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV, 01302 388 888, www2.btcv.org.uk) has taken the initiative with its Green Gym programme, organizing supervised work parties that combine physical exercise with nature conservation. The tangible health benefits mean some GPs ow prescribe Green Gyms to patients. While many people quickly tire of the high-tech equipment of the conventional gym, Green Gym members tend to stick to their outdoor exercise regime for much longer.

Time spent gardening can have a similarly soothing effect, so next time you scythe your wildflower meadow, stretch up to fill the bird feeders or rake the soil, think of it as a gentle form of natural aerobics.

Hands-on physical contact with nature adds an extra dimension to the benefits of healthcare, and has been a cornerstone of alternative therapy for years. Growing plants and caring for animals can have a dramatic effect on a wide range of atients. Horticultural therapy is used to aid the recovery of stroke patients, while interacting with farm animals and domestic pets can help people with behavioural problems. Even something as simple as topping up the bird bath or putting out food for hedgehogs combines a sense of responsibility with potentially rich rewards.

Green life equals long life

These health benefits become all the more important as we grow older. Research from Japan has shown that elderly people who live in leafy surroundings tend to maintain their independence for longer - I can see proof of that in my own mother. Now in her late 80s, her memory for plant names and her satisfaction in sowing seeds and swapping plants with neighbours is an inspiration. And the nature on her doorstep keeps her constantly looking forward - to the first primrose of spring, the return of the spawning frogs, the summer butterflies and autumn's fruit-foraging birds.

Those of us lucky enough to have our own gardens can easily enjoy the health benefits of close contact with nature, but not everyone is so fortunate. With urban overcrowding and high-rise living on the increase, we need to build accessible nature into the wider landscape.

Our parks and open spaces, school playgrounds, hospital grounds, shopping centres and industrial estates all need to make more space for nature. An apple a day is great, but a regular dose of birdsong and a breath of fresh air are even better.

Chris Baines is an independent environmentalist, Vice President of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, and President of the Association for Environment-Conscious Building.

5 ways to garden health

  1. Grow annual flowers from seed. Bringing new plants to life can be extremely therapeutic, and the resulting blooms will encourage a range of beneficial insects.

  2. Put up a nest box to encourage a family of bluetits.

  3. Reinforce the difference between seasons by planting spring wildflowers and shrubs with autumn berries.

  4. Create a pond and make an alternative wildlife habitat. What's more, water is renowned for its calming effect.

  5. Encourage birds to your garden and then share your success through national surveys such as the annual Big Garden Birdwatch organised by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (01767 680 551, www.rspb.org. uk/birdwatch). Chatting about garden birdlife is also a great way of breaking the ice with your neighbours.