The Lockdown Garden

The Lockdown Garden

We wanted to share some thoughts we had on what we are calling – The Lockdown Garden;

On the 24th of March the vast majority of us suddenly became far more familiar with the surroundings of our own homes. Lockdown became the norm.

And, for those of us lucky enough to have them, we may have become more familiar with our gardens as well.

It’s important to remember the problems brought to us by Covid-19. It’s also important to recognise the positives that can be drawn from the experience, and a revitalised connection with our gardens is one of them.

Lockdown has forced people to stay at home and, in doing so, given many the chance to slow down, reflect and spend time in their gardens in a way that time didn’t allow before.

Gardens have become social spaces for families to spend time together, as well as play grounds for children and exercise spaces for gym members. But crucially, they have been there for the reasons they were always intended – a place of tranquility, relaxation and a connection with nature and wildlife. For some, they are providing fruit and vegetables, reducing trips to the shops and helping to soften the challenges of self-isolation, all of which are having a hugely positive effect both on us and the environment.

The benefits of a garden extend to helping with mental health as well. Just from being in the open air, surrounded by plants and the physical effort of maintaining them is good for our minds and bodies. In addition, making changes to the space brings a new sense of freshness to our living environment, helping to express our creativity while forming a sense of connection and harmony with our own piece of the natural world. This seems to be something that has been lacking in our busy modern lives, until now.

It has been a strange time, with high streets empty, shopping centres and sports stadiums spookily quiet, even the skies have been clear and silent with only the sounds of nature to fill the air. While this all feels very unusual, it is mostly the norm in our gardens – peace and stillness are natural here. Now as lockdown seems to be lifting and the world is waking back up again, it’s important to remember that sense of peace we were all touched by, it’s a sense of peace that’s available every day in our gardens.

So for anyone who has access to a garden, we encourage you to use it as much as you can in order to gain from the many benefits it has to offer. A well-designed, beautiful garden gives so many positives to so many people in so many ways. We believe it’s one of the best things to come from the recent challenges we’ve all been experiencing. And we’re certain its benefits will be experienced long into the future.

Gardens for Good

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