“The greatest wealth is health.” –Virgil
Wellness is the act of practising healthy habits daily in order to create a happy physical and mental health. So instead of just living, you are flourishing and what better place to do this than in your very own garden! Our garden spaces allow us to switch off from modern day life which can often be full of challenges. Explore 9 new features that you can add to your garden to help increase your wellbeing…
Pathways
For some it may be their daily exercise and for others it may be their first steps, but a garden path can hold generations worth of memories and help to create a whimsical journey through your garden all year round.
With a vast variety of materials like gravel, mulch, stone or even a pathway mown into the lawn, you can create an optical illusion and increase the depth of your garden.
It can hugely benefit your wellbeing. Pathways can create ‘pause areas’ and small seating sections that can give you and your family time to stop and relax, allowing your garden beds to flourish in your eyes.
Outdoor saunas
Beyond pleasure and relaxation, saunas have proven to show some great health benefits including weight loss, anti-aging, skin rejuvenation, improved immune function and better sleep pattern; so wouldn’t it be great to be able to walk out your back door and straight into your own luxurious sauna cabin? Or even after a glorious dip in your outdoor pool, to then glide across your decking for R&R in the sauna.
Outdoor showers
Why not enjoy nature from the moment you wake up? Make nature a part of your morning routine with an outdoor shower to either indulge in the running hot water whilst appreciating the natural surroundings or alternatively, enjoy a cold shower which can help to improve your immune system and lower levels of cortisol (our stress hormone). You could also enjoy a soak in your outdoor bath whilst listening to the birds sing.
Water features
Water is a visual and strong sensory element that releases dopamine in humans causing us to be naturally attracted towards it. It is a great way to bring peace into the garden but also can be seen as a luxurious, cooling stand out feature.
From pot fountains and ponds to striking wall fountains,they can all be easily installed for you to enjoy at your own convenience and leisure. One of our designers could even design a tranquil wall fountain for you, with seating based around it so you could enjoy your botanical cocktails whilst listening to the relaxing sound of water falling.
Natural hideaways
Being surrounded by nature can be a huge stress reliever, so why not create a calm, private seating area surrounded by hedges, climbers or small trees specifically designed by our landscaping team.
Alternatively, sinking seating areas below ground level can create a sense of enclosure and seclusion. You could then add warm lighting and light greenery to create yourself a sunken retreat.
Outdoor exercise space
A large terrace or decked area has so many uses, whether it’s for Alfresco dining with family, wellness yoga with friends or a safe space for your little ones to play. With materials like dry stone or wood, create a feature that is bold yet seamless and that helps to build a strong cohesion between your indoor living and your out.
Kitchen gardens
A kitchen garden is something special for everyone – It can bring out your inner green thumb! Having an area where you can grow your own vegetables and raise fruits like strawberries and raspberries can not only result in nutrient-rich meals for all to enjoy, but it has also shown strong mental health benefits as it gives your mind time to relax. It is said that a day in the garden can burn the same (if not more) calories than going on a walk!
Wildgarden Meadows
Everyone says pets look like their owners but how about gardens behaving like theirs?
Embrace your personality into your garden with a wildflower meadow filled with flourishing colours. Flowers like cornflowers, field poppies, corn marigolds and corncockles are a perfect selection to achieve the ultimate variety. One of our horticulturalists can help you create a planting scheme and help maintain it so that you can just sit back, relax and enjoy your flower display. In addition, we could mow a winding pathway through so at times you can be surrounded by popping colour and waving grass.
Sensory Gardens
A sensory garden is all about stimulating and engaging our five senses – sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. You can use a blossoming pink rose to occupy our eyes, while our nose smells the fresh hints of mint. Using plants that attract pollinators will bring the subtle sound of bees buzzing, then surrounding water features add a physical touch element leaving our kitchen garden to fuel our taste buds with home grown raspberries and strawberries ready to pick and enjoy!
Do you want to incorporate these ideas into your garden? Talk to our specialist landscaping team today to find out how we can create the perfect wellness garden just for you!
