Alison’s move from IT to gardening usually raises a few eyebrows, but she always saw the similarities, not the differences. Both fields combine technical knowledge and creativity. The best technology systems need a good dose of imagination, and a beautiful garden only thrives if you understand plant science. She was passionate about home gardening. Over time, she discovered Social and Therapeutic Horticulture, and applied to a Mental Health MSc course, finally realised that creating and tending gardens had been the stress relief that was needed to balance the demanding job.
The Tipping Point
At a certain stage, Alison decided that although she had enjoyed her first career, realistically a move into some form of gardening profession was calling. The tipping point came one Friday evening while watching Gardeners' World. Alison was giving a running commentary (not the only person to do!), and her husband suggested that she was to find a different way to use all the extensive gardening knowledge. That’s how Gardening by Design was created.
The Creation of Gardening by Design
Wanting to encourage people to take part, she is passionate about getting stuck in and fully immersing herself in learning to try things out and learn from mistakes and developing an understanding on how plants grow. Her focus on gardening and wellbeing emerged through teaching Adult Education courses. Through a link with a local Mind (the mental health charity) centre, she ran short courses for their clients at their weekly gardening group.
With some trepidation about usefulness, Alison showed up to the Mind centre. Those three Thursdays were a revelation for her. The group had created a vegetable and wildlife garden that they were justifiably proud of, and it was clear how much joy and wellbeing the garden brought them and other people who used the centre.
Alison started to read about the links between gardening and mental health and discovered that Social and Therapeutic Horticulture is "a thing" with organisations running projects and training, so she embarked on that path.
A Lifelong Love of Nature
Her interest in wildlife predates any interest in gardening. Growing up in a village, spending most of the days outside in the fresh air and met her husband through voluntary nature conservation work. By the time they moved to a house with a small garden, they were both skilled at clearing scrub, building ponds, and laying hedges. Gardening with an emphasis on nature seemed entirely logical. Caring for nature, providing homes for creepy crawlies, and watching birds and butterflies adds to the wellbeing benefits of gardening a true win-win.
The Rewarding Moments
The best moments come from small comments from participants at therapeutic horticulture groups: a person whose ill health meant they could no longer enjoy long country walks saying that table-top gardening kept them connected to nature, or someone not confident in social situations feeling like part of the gardening team. There's an element of giving back to nature and contributing to society in a very different way from her first career, and it is equally rewarding in a very different way too.
Alison is proving time and time again that connection with nature will lift your mood and improve your outlook on life and your surroundings. I would recommend for everyone who is wanting to enjoy the outdoors a bit more to look at her website and project that she has dedicated so much time into. Alison also has 37 pages worth of Blogs to read about! Enough to keep you busy for some time!