Gardening is proven to help mental health and is prescribed by the NHS. The author of a new book about its appeal to the senses says we get as much out of nurturing plants as we put in
How do you make use of the space around your house? Is it a cheery welcome for visitors, a showcase of the seasons and the delights of the natural world? Or, more likely, is it a place for bins and cars? Built-up areas with small front gardens are more likely to ignore their potential, but leafier neighbourhoods do not fare much better: the focus is on privacy, exclusion and excessive neatness.”