The Social Benefits of a Garden
Peace or party
Gardening is often considered a solo pursuit but in fact has always been a social activity. You may garden alone with your thoughts and tranquillity as a pursuit, but what you create is the perfect venue for a coffee morning, a Sunday barbeque or occasion to share with friends and family.
Share knowledge and build relationships
There is a community amongst gardeners, we swap cuttings, seeds and knowledge, are happy to converse for hours about the season, future plans, past successes and failures. Gardening has always served as a way to break down some of the social barriers existing between neighbours, over the fence or in a community plot.
There are many clubs and societies that organise talks, demonstrations, field trips and social nights. Gardening brings people together.
Improve society
Gardening is utilized to build teams and educate. Group social behaviour is modified by the presence of plants and participation in gardening activities. Green schools, allotments, community gardens, volunteer days at green space clean ups etc all unite people in a common cause, a pleasant activity and often a fun day.
Benefits for the individual
There are socioeconomic benefits to the individual via community gardening such as improved Life quality, personal satisfaction and enjoyment, improved sense of well being including real health and fitness benefits. Improved diet through production of fresh food and vegetables also translates into positive psychological feeling of self-sufficiency and actual economic well-being.
Build communities
Community gardens offer improved sense of well-being to individuals and to the community as a whole. They are gathering places for neighbours, where friendships and social cohesion develops promoting a community atmosphere and allowing people an opportunity to meet others, share concerns, share skills and even solve a few problems together.
Great activities
Gardeners often visit other gardens, attend shows like Bloom, go to open days in historic houses. There is a gardening event calendar and a whole array of social opportunities to gardeners
Online communities
There is great growth in online Gardening Social Networking with many websites and blogs providing an online community for gardeners to meet others who share their passion, to share information and discuss ideas.