The Healing Garden

The Healing Garden

The Pear Tree Centre

We can probably all relate to the great healing power of the outdoors. The moments of calm found perhaps in the wilderness but often just in the humble stillness of a familiar garden; the opportunity to take a breath in the midst of life’s relentless pace. The American naturalist and conservationist John Burroughs once said;

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed and to have my senses put in tune once more”

But more than just the opinion of a man, who spent his life immersed in the natural world, there is increasing research to suggest that nature does in fact have healing effects; effects which are tenable and based firmly in the realms of science. And it turns out that the science is in fact, compelling.

There are studies which show that after a stressful event, images of nature very quickly produce a calming effect; blood pressure, respiration rate, brain activity, and the production of stress hormones all decrease and mood improves (M. J. Kreitzer RN, PhD). Viewing plants, flowers, water and other natural elements has been linked to improved mental health and reduced anxiety. There are hypotheses which cite the healing power of plants or nature’s capacity to act as a distraction from the competing stimuli of day to day life, but whatever the rationale, the studies commissioned have found no variance in the outcomes. Nature has the power to heal and the power to calm.

Yet, perhaps ironically, poor mental or physical health, by its very character, reduces our access to natural amenities, often in a very literal sense. So much of our natural environment is inaccessible to people who may for example have mobility issues or a whole host of other physical or mental health conditions. It seems, the more we need nature, the less access we have to it.

One concept trying to counter this is that of the healing garden. The first reference to the link between horticulture and healing dates back thousands of years but the modern concept hasn’t moved too far from the original ideas. Healing gardens are spaces which enable people to easily engage with the natural environment; spaces which encourage active healing through just being outdoors and having the opportunity to engage all the senses in that process. They are designed in such a way as to promote healing through encouraging users to interact with the space and other people in different ways. One of our projects here at Studio 31, uses this very concept.  An idea that most of us have probably felt at some time or another; the idea that a garden can, in some small way, heal.

A few short years ago, The Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund (HCNCF) sparked an idea to create a holistic hub for people who have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness. It was something so idealistic at the time, that it almost seemed a pipe dream but thanks to the passion, perseverance and dogged determination of a remarkable charity, it is now very much a reality.

LSI architects in Norwich have designed a contemporary building worthy of the project; one that steps away from the conventional medical stigma and instead radiates nurture, warmth and togetherness. Here at Studio 31, we have been asked to create an equally powerful outdoor space; one that gives patients, carers and family, a chance to be together, to escape, to reflect and to heal.

Our strategy is to build garden spaces that feel private and intimate but that also welcome people in. Our aim is provide users with choices and allow them to find, at a particular moment of need, a place in the garden to centre themselves or process all that may be happening. The garden is not only about the spaces that it creates but also the sensations and our aim is to create a therapeutic garden which nourishes all the senses.

Working on this project has taught us that garden design can be many things. It can be innovative, traditional or cutting edge. It can incorporate entertaining space, outdoor kitchens or art but whatever its structure or form, what garden design offers most is connection. Perhaps in a more conventional garden design sense, this might be a social space, to connect with family, a personal space to connect with a partner or perhaps a solitary space, to connect with the earth itself; with fingernails full of compost and the smell of soft, warm soil in the air.

In this very special garden, the concept of connection is a keenly felt one; connection with self, with family, carers and professionals, connection with the natural world and importantly connection with life.

With both directors of Studio 31 having grown up immersed in nature and our ethos deeply rooted in the ideas of honesty, creativity and sustainability; it is not hard to see how our team became excited about this ground breaking venture.

With the project due to start building work early this year, watch this space for updates on how it is progressing and the start of the landscape work subsequently. If you want to find out more about this pioneering project or donate to its inception or ongoing costs, please do go to the HCNCF webpage or contact us at Studio 31. Meanwhile watch our social media for updates on the design stages of a garden which aims to bring to life John Burroughs’ eloquent words.