Mindful Gardening
Sarah Wint
Sarah is creating The Daisybus Gardens of Wellbeing in the spirit of collaboration with Gaia, right here in West Wales, near Solva. She believes in the joy of playing in the dirt, rather than horticultural dogma, and in 2015 travelled the country in her old VW camper collecting stories about how gardens have affected peoples’ lives before writing a book about it (get a copy here). When she’s not gardening she likes to lose herself in the poetry of Mary Oliver and May Sarton.
Spring is the perfect time to reconnect with nature – and it is something you will be doing without even trying. Even the grumpiest of us can’t help but be lifted by the sight of the first dancing daffodils and the appearance of those knots of bright lime green on the ends of the hawthorn twigs.
Your ancient instinctive reaction to growth and the warmer longer days tells you that the future is bright : Food will grow and it is easier to keep warm. With such necessities mostly taken for granted in this country whatever the weather throws at us, the delights of spring are there for us to simply enjoy – to gladden our hearts.
Simple pleasures appear all around us like gifts and the lucky among us need very little more in life than the sun to shine and the flowers to bloom. More and more research is showing that time spent in nature is good for human health – gardening, bird watching, walking, surfing, swimming – anything that puts you right back in nature where you belong, where you came from.
This spring might be the perfect time to start shaping nature to your own tastes in your own garden. A close interaction with soil and plants brings in other aspects of human life that set us apart from other creatures: Creativity, Hope and Anticipation are all fulfilled by engaging with your plot or pot. Something that we do share with other creatures is a nurturing instinct and for me this is a huge part of gardening. Don’t be afraid to start – you are a part of nature as much as the birds and bees – and together you can create something unique and beautiful. Trust in spring and the will of all things to grow!