Inspiration Page – Mindful Gardening

discover the benefits of mindful gardening

Read our top tips and helpful hints on enhancing your headspace with help from the great outdoors

"Gardening can be a real mood changer and I love it, especially propagating. Deciding what to sow when, then getting on and doing it, seeing what’s come up from your last bout of sowing. On goes the radio and I’m away. I truly forget the time"

easy & calming

There are always plenty of garden jobs to be done this month, from sowing seeds to tidying up, that you will find incredibly rewarding. Seize the moment and get started straight away to begin your garden transformation

Sow seeds

If you haven't already sown your sweet peas, It's the ideal time to start. Sown now, they'll give you earlier flowers in greater numbers and much longer season. It is also the perfect time to sow hardy annuals such as Iceland poppies, and cobaeas

Prune & tidy

It's time to prune your shrubs and trees, clearing away dead growth, old foliage, and any leaves resting on top of plants. Don't forget to add these to your compost. Keep on top of winter-germinating weeds, such as bittercress and groundsel. They grow fast in mild spells during winter

Care for wildlife

Winter can often be difficult for wildlife, so make sure you replenish your bird feeders and remember to defrost the bird bath, as they'll need something to drink. Put up some bird boxes, so they have somewhere safe to nest in your garden

Sweep away the cobwebs

Sweep away leaves and debris to prevent paths from becoming slippery and dangerous. This task will also keep the slugs and snails at bay. Collect leaves, dampen and store in our leaf bags. After a year, turn out perfect leaf mould, great for soil conditioning

Clean up the shed

Make sure your greenhouse or potting shed is mouse free. Clean and grease your tools to get ready for spring, as well as your plastic pots. Does your lawnmower need a service? Get it in now, before the rush

Grow your own food

Start sowing Swiss chard under cover. You won’t regret it; once you get used to having this in your garden, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. You can use the stalks and the leaves, and it's brilliant for risotto, gratins, stir-fries and soups

how our team stay mindful

Discover how the gardening team at Perch Hill and office staff in Marlborough look after their physical and mental wellbeing

Sarah, Founder

How is gardening great for your wellbeing and mental health?

I find that gardening is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety. Just like sewing, doing tapestry, and (in the old days) developing my own photographs - which I did lots of as a teenager - it’s absorbing, yet not mentally demanding, creative, and positive, providing a real sense of achievement

What other therapeutic tasks can you do in the garden now?

I find that propagating isn’t the most physically challenging of garden tasks, but turning the compost heap, moving pots around, and even wheeling a full barrow of prunings, can be valuable for physical health. Whenever I spend even a half day in the garden, I’m exhausted... and sleep like a log

Gary , Horticultural Buyer

How is gardening great for your wellbeing and mental health?

Gardening is a great way to escape and block out a lot of life’s niggles. When tasked with a job outdoors, you tend to focus on the here and now and the outcome you want to achieve, resulting in a positive sense of determination and belief

Physically, the process of raising your heartbeat, feeling the elements on your skin, and allowing your body to regulate its own temperature away from all the artificial heat we're exposed to over winter is hugely beneficial

What’s your favourite therapeutic or calming garden job?

Detailed pruning is a meticulous job that blocks out a lot of the “noise” around you. For a high-impact energy release with a satisfying result, try digging out old plants or roots for replanting or division when having a rejig in the garden

What other therapeutic tasks can you do in the garden now?

Forest Bathing, also known as shinrin yoku. Being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you while breathing deeply, can help de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way

Charlotte, Technical Ecommerce Lead & Mental Health First Aider

How is gardening great for your wellbeing and mental health?

You can get lost in gardening. It’s a wonderful distraction and the benefits of being outside have been proved time and time again

What’s your favourite therapeutic or calming garden job?

My favourite gardening job is bulb planting. I find it very satisfying to arrange bulbs in their pots or in the ground, and then watching them come alive!

What other therapeutic tasks can you do in the garden now?

I love to sit and watch wildlife (particularly birds) in the garden, especially if they are benefitting from an area that I’ve created. Being in nature is incredible for mental health, and my favourite thing is walking coastal paths, taking in the sights and sounds of the sea.

Between the 24th-26th January, remember to take part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch

Josie, Head Gardener

How is gardening great for your wellbeing and mental health?

Being outside, surrounded by nature, is so rewarding. Something as simple as unplugging the podcast/radio and listening to the natural sounds around you. Hear the birds, be blown about by the wind, and feel the rain on your face. Don’t cut yourself off – just appreciate the small details – from the tiniest insects to the biggest trees

What’s your favourite therapeutic or calming garden job?

Jobs that are repetitive and require total absorption, like rose pruning (although some people find this stressful as they overthink the process). Or jobs that require physical exertion but don’t require mental engagement such as digging over the compost heap

What other therapeutic tasks can you do in the garden now?

I love looking forward to the coming season and not dwelling on what's gone before. Gardeners are optimists, so remember the successes and learn from the failures

Seed sowing is also very therapeutic. Don't forget about your plants that need an early start like cobaea, antirrhinums, and broad beans. It’s always calming to get everything in order, doing repetitive jobs like sweeping or cleaning greenhouse glass

Jemima, Campaign and Events Lead

How is gardening great for your wellbeing and mental health?

I love being outdoors in nature. The sense of space and the connection to wildlife and beauty is guaranteed to make me feel grounded and more relaxed.

The joy I get from going out onto my balcony to pick a few stems, or a handful of lettuce is huge. I find it so rewarding, and satisfying.

What’s your favourite therapeutic or calming garden job?

I love pricking out and potting on my seedlings. It requires enough concentration to stop my mind whirring, but also you can get into a good rhythm. Plus, it is SO satisfying

make a bird feeder wreath

The buzz that birds can bring to our gardens is unparalleled, and consistently feeding birds is one of the mightiest acts we can do to give back to wildlife. Read Sarah's simple steps to create your own bird feeder wreath

What you’ll need

• 12 or 14-inch wreath ring (or make your own)

• String to bind things with

• Stub wire

• Bundles of berries (6 x 60cm)

• Mini apples e.g. 'Spartan' variety

• Seed heads from the garden

• Dried apple rings

• A bag of monkey nuts

• 15-20 Fir cones

• Teasels and hydrangea heads

• Peanut butter

• Bird seed

Step 1

Lay a stem of hawthorn (or other) berries onto the frame and wire them onto your wreath base until you’ve got a generous covering of fruit

Step 2

Next, add the teasels and hydrangea heads making sure you are adding to the edges as well as the front of the wreath. Try not to add too much to the centre

Step 3

The next step is wiring the fir cones, monkey nuts, and apple rings. Push on a monkey nut, followed by an apple ring, and repeat the process

Step 4

Choose how many cones you want to be ‘bird feeders’ and then smear them with peanut butter and roll them in birdseed before attaching them to your wreath