Let’s talk gardens and greenery – plants on human health and well-being. During the pandemic, a lot of people realized how important the outdoors was to them. They took pleasure in an outdoor walk, they started bringing plants into their homes and once allowed, they started driving to parks and outdoor spaces to feel better. There were amazing videos of nature coming back into places it had been pushed out of by humans. Some animal behavior that we thought we understood, turned out to be completely wrong because they were only behaving that way in the presence, or interference, by humans. To see an amazing documentary on it (if you haven’t already) find “The Year Earth Changed” on Apple TV+.  See the trailer.

Another great example of a newfound understanding of the important relationship between nature and human health, well-being, and one country’s attempt to combat climate change is Britain’s the Royal Horticulture Society (RHS) and their RHS Chelsey Flower Show (on BBC). When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, they had to cancel the 2020 show for the first time in 108 years. But when it came back, people had a whole new appreciation for nature on people’s health. Over the following years, they banned floral foam, plastic, peat, and artificial grass from all future shows, they added indoor plant exhibits and balcony exhibits because during the pandemic they had a huge uptick in people’s interest in plants and green spaces. It was found to be a coping mechanism for many people and helped to combat loneliness,  depression, and even obesity! See the RHS Sustainability Strategy  

In 2021, they launched the  Planet-Friendly Gardening Campaign  to help make the UK more biodiverse, combat climate change, and tackle social issues like mental health, community engagement, and physiological health. Apparently, half of all Brits do some form of gardening and they state, that if everyone planted one tree and nurtured it to full grown it would “store the carbon equivalent to driving around the planet 11.4 million times!”

It’s a pretty impressive goal. And I think, it’s one that every country could replicate. This year’s Chelsey Flower Show had several examples of people growing a tree inside their homes and on tiny little balconies! It was beautiful and doable for anyone! I know just nurturing my little orchid and propagating my Blue Salvia in my kitchen, makes me happier – even when it’s 100 degrees outside. Proof it is doable anywhere.

The science behind the benefits of nature on human health and well-being has been growing and the alignment of nurturing nature, reducing nasty plastics and chemicals from our environments, and not using up resources to combat climate change, is cyclical. It’s important and it’s inevitable – if we want to go on, on this planet. Together. Happy. Healthy. Tell someone you know to plant a tree and nurture it until it’s full grown.