If you’re finding gardening stressful, simplify your collection and stop worrying about neatness
It seems you can’t pick up a gardening magazine these days without reading about the measurable benefits that horticulture can have on both mental and physical health – from alleviating stress to reducing pain levels. However, as someone who spends most of his waking hours tending to plants, I wonder if there is also a flip side to this. Can some aspects of gardening – both indoors and out – also be a source of stress and, if so, is there a way we can tweak what we do to maximise gardening’s therapeutic benefits?
When it comes to houseplants, all you have to do to see what’s driving the Instagram explosion of interest is look at the hashtags. Things like #plantsmakepeoplehappy and #plantparenthood show that, far from an interior design trend, it’s the healthy, emotional desire to care for and nurture life that is often the driver of people’s interest. However, just beneath the surface you find hashtags like #planthoarder thrown into the mix.