GROWING CULTURE

We enjoy spending time in our gardens, but there’s much more to it than that. Outdoor spaces function as an expression of identity, places to grow relationships, produce food, and connect with nature. 

The ability to readily access gardens and the natural environment cannot be underestimated. Scientists involved in a University of Otago study of 55 householders, which appeared in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, found the significance of gardens was greater than previously understood. 

“Gardens proved to be very important for our householders; for physical and mental health, as an expression of ownership and identity, as sites for social relationships, for connecting with nature, and as sites of domestic produce production. Householders’ connections with nature were idiosyncratic, multifaceted, and exhibited in ways that are more complex and varied than those usually considered by those working in the natural sciences …” 

We tend to think that creating a garden is based on practical decisions and personal taste, but there are many more factors underlying how we go about building outdoor spaces. Our cultural history, family traditions, memories, emotions, and experiences all combine to form spaces that incorporate objects and vegetation, reflecting who we are and where we come from.