After spending so much time at home during the past lockdowns our gardens now feel more important than ever before. But even before we were restricted to our own spaces, they’ve been essential parts of our wellbeing and the local environment too. Keep on reading to find out more about how crucial gardens and outdoor spaces are to us.
Mental Health Benefits
Many studies have shown the connections between spending time in the fresh air and our mental health. Living near green areas can help reduce our levels of stress and those who spend time gardening regularly often have lower levels of depression and anxiety. In fact, gardening is often prescribed by the NHS for rehabilitation for patients suffering from mental health issues. And for those who aren’t lucky enough to have their own garden, community spaces and local parks are also great places to make new connections, socialise and improve our wellbeing.
All Year Round Spaces
You may tend to use your garden primarily during the summer but with a few simple steps, you can turn your space into a haven throughout the seasons. From sunbathing during the hotter months to potting up plants during the cooler periods. One great way of getting more use from your garden is to cover an area and provide protection from the weather, this can be easily done with a shade sail. These are available in many different sizes, colours and designs so you can always find the perfect option to suit your space. Use our online price calculator to get a cost for your shade sail to start your project.
Great For the Environment
Gardens are also extremely important for the world and local environment as well as benefitting us directly. Outdoor spaces are home to many animals and are a key element in our local ecosystems. Many plants and flowers also support insects such as bees to survive. And it’s also easy to make our spaces even more welcoming to wildlife, such as adding bug hotels for insects to live in and leaving larger hedges and bushes untrimmed for larger animals like hedgehogs to hide in.
As well as supporting wildlife, our gardens can also help the wider world by helping us to reduce our carbon footprint. By growing your own fruit and veg, you can reduce your impact on the planet and also cut down on packaging waste too. And even by growing plants, they will absorb carbon from the air and any trees you have will also produce oxygen.
Perfect Social Setting
As well as being great spaces for wildlife, gardens are also fantastic for spending time with family and friends. From hosting BBQs to birdwatching to landscape painting, there are endless ways we can use our outdoor spaces to socialise. Gardens are also a great opportunity to encourage your children to spend more outside, away from their smart devices and out in the fresh air. You could involve them in choosing which flowers to plant and include some simple gardening tasks as part of their regular chores and jobs.
Ideal for Staying Active
When you think about the ideal location for your next workout, the gym may automatically spring to mind but our outdoor spaces shouldn’t be overlooked. Many of the tasks you complete when gardening are great for our bodies and muscles, from mowing the lawn to digging up weeds. Gardens can also be a great spot for a relaxing yoga session or for something more upbeat you could play tennis, football or cricket with your family too.
Allows Your Creativity to Flourish
Being outside in a change of scenery is a great way to stimulate the brain and enjoy a creative outlet. Many of us find gardening so therapeutic because we have control over how our space looks and what we want to plant throughout the year. And if we’re lucky enough we get to see how our hard work has paid off and relish the beautiful results.
You Can Reap The Rewards
One fantastic element of gardens is that what you put in, you get back out of it. By growing your own produce, you can enjoy fresh food while saving money on your food bills. Flowers can also be cut and arranged into a bouquet to make a lovely present or to brighten up your own house.
It’s a Great Educational Tool
And arguably one of the most important things about gardens is that it offers families a great way to teach their children about the natural world, wildlife and the environment. By engaging our children and getting them involved, they are more likely to make environmentally-friendly decisions and lifestyle choices as they grow up.
So it’s clear to see that gardens have many benefits and play a huge role in our daily lives as well as supporting the wider world around us. Whether you have a small patio space or a large green area, have fun enjoying your space and appreciating your garden.