Winter Garden tips

• Garden therapy - Activities like raking, clearing, digging and planting provide physical exercise that maintains your body’s mobility, flexibility and strength. They also keep your mind active, which is good for mental health, and just the sights and sounds of the garden can reduce stress and relieve depression. Gardens are interesting, creative, productive and therapeutic spaces that bring benefits to gardeners all-year-round.
• Meet in the local wildlife - By choosing the right plants we can design gardens that encourage birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife to drop in for food, water and shelter, or even take up residence. Developing an all-year-round wildlife-friendly garden satisfies our own creativity and feeling of achievement, bringing us outside and closer to nature to reduce stress and improve our wellbeing. Contact with plants and the soil also enhances our health and boosts the immune system, too.
• The healing power of plants - Flowers can make you feel calm and relaxed, reducing stress and improving mental health. Fragrant flowers, like lavender, have been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, too, aiding restful sleep. While the style of garden and colours used can affect mood and emotions, just looking out onto plants has healing properties, and can boost performance, productivity and creativity.