Scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have recently revealed that they are going to be researching how gardens can improve our wellbeing by conducting an experiment at the society’s experimental garden in Surrey.
What’s the experiment?
At the RHS experimental garden, a team of landscape gardeners have built different sections full of different plants and flowers. These sections all differ in that some have stronger scents, more colourful flowers, and other different themes. The idea is that when these gardens are in full bloom in a few months’ time, scientists want to see which gardens improve our wellbeing the most.
How will the experiment help?
Scientist Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui at the RHS has said the aim is to create a blueprint for our wellbeing, focusing on the whole range of human emotions and what parts of the garden make the most impact on each.
The research will hopefully be used to assist the health and social care system in the UK, as well as help in education for those with special needs. She explains that it’s the same principle as choosing the right plants or food for pollinators in your garden, but instead choosing the right ones for wellbeing.
What that means for your garden
This research could change the way you design your garden in the future. You may want to take the RHS’s advice and dedicate areas for certain plants that make you feel good, so outside where your Supremo bari garden furniture is situated becomes even more of a safe space.
