As one of the biggest and most influential garden shows on the planet, the RHS Chelsea flower show is a barometer of shifting trends within horticulture. It is no surprise, then, that many gardens at next week’s show – the first spring Chelsea since Covid – explores the theme of mental health. The positive effects of gardening on our wellbeing have long been recognised – as early as the sixth century, Benedictine monks viewed horticulture as grounding the mind – but in the past few years, this connection has come into sharper focus.
Across the anxious lockdown months of 2020, it is estimated that three million new gardeners took to the trowel; healthcare-associated gardens like Maggie’s and Horatio’s are multiplying, while the NHS has recognised the restorative power of “green social prescribing” initiatives, connecting patients with hands-on gardening opportunities.
