When we ' re not feeling our best , many of us tend to isolate ourselves and our confidence drops . The therapy garden at Eden creates an opportunity for people to meet others knowing they will at least have the garden in common , which is a starting point for conversation . From there , they can tentatively build new connections and friendships . Often , people joining the programme know nothing at all about gardening . Developing skills in a non-competitive , non-judgemental environment helps to build confidence .
Soil bacteria are now understood to lift your serotonin levels . This is a growing area of research but I think it is encouraging to discover there may be an additional biological benefit to digging around in the dirt !
We have a number of different groups on the programme , attending on different days . For example , recently , Wednesdays were devoted to a group from the Defence Garden Scheme , and Friday mornings were open to people to try the programme for a few weeks to see how they got on . The groups are constantly evolving , so I ' d encourage people to get in touch to find out more about the programmes we have coming up .
About 18 months ago , a man came to the garden following a massive stroke . He was a former long-term heroin addict , with health conditions that meant he couldn ' t walk far , so he was existing on microwave meals from his local garage . During his time on the programme , he began to eat fresh food from the garden and gradually his physical strength improved – so much so that he turned a small patch of brambles and ivy by his flat into a vegetable patch and did the same with his neighbour ' s garden ! Now , he looks like a completely different person . He couldn ' t walk more than 30 paces and now he cycles around on his bike !
A typical day on the programme usually includes a morning and an afternoon gardening session , and we ' ll eat lunch together in between . Sometimes , we ' ll pause during a session to do some mindfulness work . It ' s natural for people ' s minds to drift , so it ' s good to take time to help them reconnect with the moment again . I might ask them to take five minutes for themselves and find something they find beautiful in the garden , or something they ' ve never seen before , or simply to touch or smell something in the garden . We ' ll come back together and share those experiences as a group . Often , I also stop people to remind them to stretch their backs out – it ' s affectionately known by some of my groups as the ' squeezy bum thing '.
Our RHS Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture is a practical programme , which has proved very popular . As people start to get into gardening and their confidence increases , they are keen to progress on to this programme as they get a real sense of achievement from the certification .
“ When you ' re working side-by-side with someone in the garden , a space opens up that wouldn ' t be there in face-to-face therapy sessions . It ' s a completely different dynamic ”
Is there pressure to talk about any mental health issues you are experiencing ?
When you ' re working side-by-side with someone in the garden , a space opens up that wouldn ' t be there in face-to-face therapy sessions . It ' s a completely different dynamic . The space seems to encourage – rather than demand – conversation and the sharing of stories . Simply being listened to is extremely therapeutic .
My colleague James and I spend a lot of time just gardening side-by-side with people when they are feeling troubled . If they choose to share , we listen – but we don ' t ask them to share . For some people it ' s a relief not having to explain themselves .
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