Can Gardening Reduce Stress?

When the sun is shining, there’s no doubt that spending time in the great outdoors can instantly lift your mood. The vitamin D we absorb from the sun is known to provide numerous health benefits, but did you know that spending time outside will also have a positive impact on your mental health? 

While it has long been known that physical outdoor exercise such as cycling, walking and running can help to reduce stress, recent studies have found that gardening can also be a key factor in helping to reduce anxiety or stress.

How can gardening help to reduce stress?

Research conducted by the British Psychological Society has shown that gardening will: 

• Promote feelings of accomplishment
• Promote self-efficacy 
• Promote self-esteem 
• Improve psychological well-being
• Delay symptoms of dementia when individuals participate in community gardening 

So, if you’re lucky enough to have access to an outdoor space then getting outside and doing some gardening is a great way to relieve stress and have fun while doing so! But even if you don’t have a large garden, there’s still plenty of ways you can enjoy gardening on a smaller scale.

Here are some of the best garden tools and tips to make gardening easier and more enjoyable:

STIHL HSA 26

The STIHL HSA 26 are a set of cordless garden shears, which are the perfect size for pruning shrubs and small hedging. As these battery powered shears are completely cordless, they’re perfect for those moments when you need to nip out into the garden to do small bits of trimming. Handily, this shears set comes complete with battery, charger, shrub cutter, grass trimmer and a useful carry case which also has eyelets for wall-mounting. 

STIHL GTA 26

Like the HSA 26, the STIHL GTA 26 is a handy garden tool to have in your shed or toolbox. This battery-powered mini pruner is small yet mighty, and is a great tool for pruning trees and shrubs, or even cutting up your garden waste for easier green bin disposal! The set comes complete with battery, charger, chain and guide bar for the mini saw as well as a handy carry case which can be wall-mounted for easy storage.

Gardena Balcony Secateurs

Even if you just have a balcony, there’s still plenty you can do with your outdoor space to get outdoors and start growing! These city balcony secateurs are the perfect size to prune your pots on your balcony. With the capacity to cut flowers, herbs and thin branches, they are an ideal pruning tool for the balcony gardener. 

Gardena CleverRoll Easy Hose Trolley

Gardena is renowned for its clever garden watering solutions. When you need a hosepipe, Gardena is the brand to go for! The CleverRoll Hose Trolley is a useful tool to keep your hose neatly stored, and also help you to easily manoeuvre it around your garden. This hose trolley is a must-have for helping you to water your plants, beds and borders, and is available in small, medium and large sizes.

Vegetable Seeds

Growing your own herbs and vegetables is an incredibly productive way to reduce stress. Planting seeds and seeing your crops flourish creates a true feeling of accomplishment. In our seeds range, you’ll find a large variety of veg and herbs that can be planted throughout different times of year. So whether you’re wanting to plant runner bean seeds, carrots chantenay or lambs lettuce, getting outside and growing seeds is a great way to reduce stress and anxiousness.

Grow Bags

Using growbags is a useful way to help your flowers, fruit and veg grow. Perfect for using pretty much anywhere, whether it’s a patio, windowsill or greenhouse, a grow bag is an ideal tool for gardening in any size or shape of outdoor space. Why use a grow bag? Grow bags are rich in potash which helps abundant flowering and fruiting.

If you are lucky enough to have a huge garden, or simply have access to a balcony or patio, there’s plenty you can do when it comes to getting outdoors and give gardening a go. Having the right garden tools will help make the job much easier and more pleasurable, which will all contribute to relieving stress and improving mental wellbeing.