Our wonderful Head Gardener for Horatio’s Garden Scotland, Chelsea Lowe, shares her thoughts on the restorative nature of gardens.
Although our garden at the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Glasgow has something to enjoy year round, April is a real time of awakening here in Horatio’s Garden Scotland. Every day there is a new bloom opening or fern unfurling, a birds nest where there was none before, a butterfly newly transformed. In a restorative garden, all these elements are working together, unwittingly, to sooth, fascinate and refresh the mind.
We know intrinsically that being in a beautiful, lush garden is nourishing, and there is new evidence coming to light all the time that explains why this is. When we are going through a stressful time or have a lot of new information to process, our bodies go into ‘fight, flight or freeze mode’, a protective reaction that helps us react to danger. Although helpful sometimes, we can get stuck in this intense state and it can negatively affect our cognitive ability, sleep, digestion, immune system and mental health. When you are in hospital and facing a months long journey of rehabilitation, far from home and your usual places of solace and comfort, the garden is a vital sanctuary that helps ease us out of this mode, crucially relieving the stress and mental fatigue. Something as simple as a view of nature through a window is shown to improve recovery and reduce the need for painkillers. We have beautiful glass garden rooms so that people can be immersed in the peace and beauty year round, but when the sun is shining there is no better place than soaking up the warmth outside in an ocean of tulips.
The garden is a favourite of family and friends, making visits more enjoyable. We have a children’s play area that is well loved, and special events held in the garden help to celebrate all the important occasions that may pass while facing a long stay. The benefits of the garden also extend to the medical staff, who are able to take breaks in nature, leaving them feeling refreshed, relaxed and energised. The ripple effect of this through the wards is significant.
Therapeutic gardening and craft, which we do in patient-led one to one or group sessions, connects people to wonderful pastimes that can also be positive coping skills for future. We grow and harvest food and work with fresh and dried flowers, indoors and out, to make seasonal decorations and gifts, from painting easter eggs with plant dyes, to aromatic own-harvested lavender sachets, floral arrangements and woven willow crafts.
As soon as we can start sowing seeds, the greenhouse begins to fill up, until trays of seedlings, cuttings and tubers are jostling for space. The world opens up when a seedling throws off its husk, and the joy of seeing that your cutting has rooted, that something new has been made from a severed piece, can be a transformative seed itself to plant in someone’s mind. Nurturing these fresh starts and witnessing fragility turn into strength and independence is what Horatio’s Garden is all about.
