Gardens can be amazing spaces. As well as practically providing you with many of the things you need, they can also places for healing both body and mind. A healing garden can allow you to connect with the natural world and find a sense of balance and equilibrium in what can be busy and stressful modern lives. 

The last couple of years have been a challenging time for many of us. But a garden, no matter how large or small, can be a space of solace and healing. Here are some tips to help you create a healing garden:

Plant Densely For Privacy, Tranquility and For All the Senses

No matter how large or small your garden may be, and no matter where you live, the biggest mistake you can make is planting too little. More is more. 

Dense layered planting schemes, with trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in abundance will help you to create that sense of nature-connection. Dense planting will improve privacy and create calm, tranquil havens of any space. And with lush, dense planting appropriate to place, you can create a feast for all your senses.

Think Carefully About Colour, Scent and Feel

Of course, to create a calming, healing garden, you cannot just bung in plants at random. As well as thinking about planting schemes appropriate for where you live and your specific garden, you should also be sure to consider the space in terms of how it makes you feel. 

The colour scheme that you choose in a garden can have a big impact on the atmosphere it creates. For mental health and well-being, colour psychology can help you come up with a scheme to suit you. 

For example, those who tend to be blue may benefit from an uplifting space, with a riot of cheerful, bold colour. While those who get anxious and stressed may benefit from a more muted and restricted colour palette, with greens, cool pastels, and whites, perhaps. You may be surprised by how big an impact the colour and combinations of the plants around you can have on your mood. 

Of course, you should also think about the other senses. How your garden smells, sounds, and the texture of planting, can also help you to find balance and live in the moment as you explore and connect with the natural world

Plant Culinary and Medicinal Plants

When you are need of some healing, in body or in mind, growing your own can be key to finding balance. We are what we eat. When you take back at least some control and grow a range of fruits, vegetables and herbs in your garden, you can begin to heal in so many ways. 

Blending and integrating edible crops and culinary and medicinal herbs into your ornamental planting is a wonderful way to create healing spaces in your garden.

Create Spaces for Recreation and Quiet Contemplation

A healing space should be about nature bathing and productivity. A well designed garden helps you find the balance between practical needs and desires. In any garden, as well as thinking about planting areas and food producing zones, you should also make sure you create spaces.

Seating areas, outdoors kitchen and dining zones, yoga retreats and other exercise zones and kids play areas are just some options that could be considered. Remember, such areas might be close to water, or in shade or sun. So it is important to think about how each of these spaces interacts with the surroundings and provides you with what you need. 

Incorporating plans for such areas into your planting plans is key to achieving your goals of a healing garden.