Garden Design IdeasGarden Ideas, Photos and Tips for Gardening at Home
Can a garden be a prescription for what pain you ? In many cases , the answer is “ yes . ” feel the looker and miracles of nature through the cultivation of plant life is sinewy practice of medicine that can mend and regenerate both consistency and judgement . While garden for health is n’t a novel conception , it has gained more recognition and popularity in recent years due to an increased cognizance of a garden ’s mental and strong-arm health benefit .
Those welfare have been experienced first - hand by Amy Roberts , whose garden in Villaleigh , New Zealand , began as a Falco subbuteo then took on new import after her son ’s Crab diagnosis in 2014 . “ The garden and plant life allow me to hold onto hope by watching new growth egress , and it gave me a blank where I could spend metre repair the strength a parent postulate when supporting a child through discussion , ” she allege .
Over the years , Roberts ’ garden has grown to reach three acres in size and include a wide change of annual , perennial , shrubs , and tree diagram planted with the purpose of creating a place of beauty that nurtures everyone who experiences it . “ The garden continues to germinate as the plant life show me how and where they perform best . And for our family , it help us live in the present tense , entrance the magic of our surroundings and making us find blessed for what we have , ” Roberts suppose . ( See more of her garden and storyhere . )
The summertime abundance in Roberts ’ wellness garden is on full show along a path guide past a seat made out of repurposed timber . The path intentionally sits lower than the garden beds , so visitor can become immersed in the serene environment . Photo by : Amy Roberts
WHAT IS A WELLNESS GARDEN?
A wellness garden ( sometimes holler a healing garden or therapeutic garden ) is a thoughtfully design out-of-door sanctuary that promotes physical , emotional , and unearthly well - being . It provides a space to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with nature and yourself .
There are mostly two types of wellness gardens :
Because both type of garden incorporate many similar features , it ’s possible to create a wellness garden that is both restorative and enabling . What ’s most important is to let in elements in your wellness garden that bring you joy and fit your own unique therapeutic needs .
WHAT ARE THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF A WELLNESS GARDEN?
8 TIPS FOR DESIGNING A WELLNESS GARDEN
1 . Provide spaces for reflection . For many people , the garden is a recourse from the extraneous world , a place where they can model , relax , and become immerse in the mantrap of nature . It might be aZen gardencomposed of gumption and rocks , alabyrinth gardenfor ruminative walk , or simply a quiet nook for reflectivity .
To assist create dedicated spaces for rumination and introspection , position Bench or other prosperous seating near focal period , such as body of water features or garden - inspired artistry . Adding shade structures like arbour or arbor can enhance the solace and usability of the space and make your health garden a welcoming retreat .
2 . Establish a good sense of connection . Establishing a signified of connexion in a wellness garden involves make an environment that promotes interaction and a deep bond with nature .
“ Our garden is surrounded by cultivated land and rolling mound , so the garden makes the most of the borrowed landscape beyond our plot by receive interruption between the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree that take into account us to see and find machine-accessible to our surroundings , ” pronounce Roberts .
Engaging with the soil , industrial plant , and the cadence of nature while horticulture can also further a signified of connection and encourage heedfulness . Another way of life to create a sensory faculty of harmony with the environ environment is to incorporate lifelike elements in your garden like Rock , logarithm , pieces of driftwood , and aboriginal plants .
A meandering pathway through the Roberts garden offers a glimpse of the rolling hills beyond . picture by : Amy Roberts
3 . Create a journey . Sometimes the journey in a wellness garden can be just as important as the finish , creating the impression of being carry to another place .
advance a sense of exploration and discovery by using meandering pathways to guide visitor through the garden , add an gentle wind of mystery by make familiar corner or garden suite along the way . Also look at the scale of garden pathways . A way that is too wide can overwhelm a space , while one that is too minute may be less approachable and difficult to navigate .
Get more ideas fordesigning garden pathways .
Two Ginkgo tree chair the oculus as you face out from the front veranda of the Roberts house , with a path veering off to the right . “ I love to add some mystery and not give all the secrets of the garden away at once , ” says Roberts . Photo by : Amy Roberts
4 . Appeal to all the sess . design a wellness garden that engage all the senses can result in a richer , more immersive experience .
Plantaromatic herbsand extremely fragrant bloom likelavender , star jasmine , androses , placing them along pathways or in other spots in the garden where their scent can be in full bask . bring on a symphony of solace sounds by installing a outflow or otherwater featureand by hang confidential information bell made from different materials . merged plants with a potpourri of grain , such as the bleary leaves oflamb ’s earand the roughbark of trees . sum blue motion by plantingornamental grassesand other plant that rock gracefully in the breeze .
See otherideas for sensory elementsto let in in a wellness garden .
5 . Choose uplifting colors . In a health garden , color is more than just an aesthetic element . It ’s also designed to impact people both physically and emotionally , eliciting feelings of upheaval or instilling a sense of calmness . Cool , soothing colors such asblue , green , and softpinkcan help reduce stress and anxiety by creating a tranquil environment . Bold , promising gloss likeyellowandorangepromote notion of happiness and positivity , pretend the garden a elated , industrious place .
To head off overwhelming or overstimulating the senses , consider make specific zona within your garden that use different color schemes to evoke particular climate . Also incorporate a variety of plants with unlike bloom times to insure a continuous display of people of color throughout the seasons . wintertime - blooming plantscan be peculiarly pick up by adding colour to an otherwise dreary landscape painting .
Roberts ’ garden is a riot of colour in summer , populated with a variety of Sunday - know perennials such as blue sea Buddy Holly ( Eryngium planum ) , speedwell ( Veronica spicata ) , snakeroot ( Eupatorium rugosm‘Chocolate ’ ) , and sandpaper vervain ( Verbena rigida ) . Photo by : Amy Roberts
6 . Attract beneficial wildlife . survey have indicate that spending time in nature and observing wildlife can reduce emphasis levels and better temper , lend to overall genial well - being . By attracting birds , butterfly , bees , and other wildlife to your wellness garden , you will not only make it a more active and enjoyable space , you will also be support the local ecosystem .
Cultivating a miscellany of native plants is one of the best ways to boost the biodiversity of a wellness garden because they offer food and habitat for regional wildlife , include pollinators like bee , butterflies , and hummingbird . But even something as elementary as a birdbath can have a giving impingement . Besides bringing dish , movement , and melody to a garden , dame make for an important role in cum dissemination and innate gadfly control condition .
Get more steer forturning your garden into a wildlife sanctuary .
7 . Create a sensory faculty of order and concordance . Creating a sense of ordering and harmony in a health garden involve thoughtful design and deliberate preparation to ensure the blank space is both esthetically pleasing and assuasive .
A great part of Roberts ’ garden is devoted to the extensive range of perennials she has collected over the eld , arranged in a personal manner that creates a unified whole . “ I want visitors to the garden to see the plants growing in various combinations and how they all fit together as part of the boastful picture , ” she says .
When design harmonious plant arrangements , consider using symmetrical planting patterns to produce greater predictability . Repeating plant life species , shapes , and colors in the garden is another effective way to establish continuity and upgrade a sense of flow that Stephen Foster heedfulness and relaxation .
Get other ideas forhow to create a more peaceful garden layout .
8 . Embrace the health benefit of gardening . The physical try of creating and maintaining a wellness garden has its own wellness benefits . Activities like digging , planting , weeding , and lacrimation can all put up to physical seaworthiness by improving cardiovascular health , increase force , and enhancing flexibility . The act of nurture plant can also render a common sense of accomplishment and purpose .
“ In summer , I ’m out in the garden first matter in the break of day , and am often still going by former evening . I have more energy , and my humor is improved , ” says Suzannah Dolanc - Pugh , who discovered the heal powers of horticulture when she began experiencing wellness issues in 2019 . The natural action of renovating her property in Springfield , Missouri ( see her gardenhere ) encouraged mindfulness and being present in the mo , raise her overall well - being .
“ travail in the soil helped reset my brain , take my mind off my health issues . Gardening scram me out of doors and chip in me something else to concenter on , ” she say .
THE HEALING POWER AND BENEFITS OF GARDENING
agree to many scientific studies and reputable sources , let in the Mayo Clinic and Harvard University , gardening extend a all-inclusive range of physical and mental wellness benefit . These include :
