Garden joy SPECIAL
Follow these 10 simple steps to enhance your wellbeing and SQUEEZE MORE JOY from your outside space
There’s a very simple reason why we love to garden – it’s good for us! In a world of speed and stressful news cycles, getting outside into a space that runs on an altogether slower rhythm is an incredibly powerful way to relax and re-balance. That’s not just a feeling: it’s fully backed by science.
Research has found that gardeners have a better quality of life than non-gardeners: more peaceful, more satisfied, happier. And to fully max your opportunities for backyard bliss this year, here are 10 surprising insights about the ways that your outdoor space can support you to feel at your best. Ready? Let’s get that in-the-garden glow...
#1 MATCH EFFORT TO EXPECTATION
Back in the ’90s, German sociologist Johannes Siegrist developed the term ‘the effort-reward imbalance’. It’s a concept that’s usually applied to our jobs: when we work, we want the effort we put in to be fairly and equitably rewarded. When it is, we’re happy; when it’s not, we have a negative reaction.
That idea of fairness goes deep and what’s true at work is also true in the garden. So be honest with yourself and consider how much time you want to spend gardening, and how much time you want to simply be in the garden. Because there’s no shame in having a plot full of hassle-free plants so you get to laze on the patio as much as you like!
It’s equally absolutely fine if you love a finickity plant so much that you’re happy to pamper it for the prize of a bloom or two. The trick is to do enough work to feel proud of your effort, but not enough that gardening becomes a chore – and that level is different for everyone, not just because some of us are lazier gardeners than others, but because we all appreciate aspects such as weeks of flowers or evergreen leaves to a greater or lesser extent.
Think back over the past year and consider which plants rewarded you well for your efforts, and which were a real bore in comparison to the joy they delivered. We’re guessing that the former are your favourites! So perhaps it’s time to gift those others to make room for plants that are a better match. And when it’s time to shop, don’t be swayed by showstopper blooms! Make a hard-headed choice based on a plant’s reward-to-effort ratio, matching that to the amount of effort you’re prepared to put in.
#2 GET
