Andrew Oldham writes about Pig Row, which is three gardens over a quarter of an acre in Scouthead. Visit their website at www.lifeonpigrow.co.uk
GARDENING COMES at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list in most homes.
As a nation we are more comfortable designing interiors than gardens.
Once upon a time the front garden had the same impact as the parlour; that room you only allowed guests in if they had clean shoes.
Likewise, the front garden was a formal face to the rest of the community; it played an important role that was often bolstered by gossip, humour and envy. It created green avenues and became a status symbol.
It was the original internet allowing you gossip about what was going on in the world, the town, the street and ‘them next door’.
It did far more than that: it helped with personal and mental health; soil microbes have been linked to positive health in human beings.
The act of getting your hands dirty is good for the mind and also good for the body. The scent of earth along with the scent of roses has been linked to mental well being.
Even the most deplored act in gardening – weeding – lowers blood pressure and creates an upbeat feeling.
We can all relate to clearing a space of weeds and being proud of our achievements. It appears this is a result of microbes in the soil interacting with our nervous system and minds.
Gardening is now even a recommended therapy to those with physical or mental illness. It helped me to walk again.
So there is something to be said about reinstating front gardens, of giving more over to soil than tarmac or block paving.
Gardening will make you feel comfortable, happy and healthy and, like that shade of paint you picked for the bathroom, you won’t always get it right and that’s okay.
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