Busy yourself with garden jobs that have the added bonus of benefiting your health

There’s enough to keep even the most casual gardener busy in spring, but have you ever considered how you can use these chores to boost your wellbeing? Here, we’re sharing some ideas for how to transform standard spring gardening jobs into mindful moments that could support your mind and mood.

Take care of nesting birds

Springtime is nesting time for many species, and all that hard work can really take it out of them. You can easily pick up some bird seed with your food shop, with many inexpensive varieties on offer. Position your bird feed in a quiet area of your garden, ideally out in the open so the birds have a good view of what’s around them so they can remain safe from predators. Then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the mindful hobby of birdwatching.

Pruning and deadheading

Now’s the time to get those secateurs out to start pruning back certain shrubs and climbers, as well as deadheading bulbs. A vital part of any kind of garden maintenance, pruning and deadheading can still sometimes feel like taking a step backwards – though, of course, it’s actually the exact opposite.

When you’re going through this job, take some time to consider areas in your life that you could cut back on in order to thrive in the future. That could be letting go of self-limiting beliefs, an unhappy relationship, bad habits, or anything else that feels like it’s weighing you down.

Get planting

No matter what kind of gardener you are – whether you plant out beautiful border flowers, carefully guide climbing shrubs, grow your own fruit and veg, or concentrate on creating a biodiverse space – now is growing season, and it’s time to get planting.

You’ll probably already know where we’re going with this metaphor, it’s quite a pervasive one, but it’s always worth a reminder of the way that the things we plant now will come back to us in the future.

Install a micro-pond

Early spring is the perfect time to install a pond. Don’t be put off by the idea of a pond being a grand thing; micro-ponds can be as small as a bucket, or any other watertight container you have going spare. Simply add a layer of pebbles, fill it with water, add pond plants, and wait for the wildlife to turn up. Use this activity as a reminder of the impact of your actions, no matter how small.

Don’t tidy up too much

There are 20 million gardens in the UK, making them a huge contributor to green spaces in the country, and so letting them breathe a bit makes a huge difference in the long-run. Pollinators and insects benefit hugely from dead plants left in the garden, as does the soil. So resist the temptation to tidy too much – stick to hard surfaces, like pathways, and let borders and grassy areas do their thing.

Beyond the satisfaction of knowing that you’re making a difference ecologically speaking, there’s a lesson here about letting go of control, ignoring the pull to consistently achieve high standards, and allowing the world to move around us.