'The wisest book I've read for many years ... Much more than a gardening book, much more than a guide to mental health ... Hugely recommended' Stephen Fry
The garden has always been a place of peace and perseverance, of nurture and reward. Using contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis and compelling real-life stories, The Well Gardened Mind investigates the remarkable effects of nature on our health and wellbeing.
From the science of the brain's own 'gardener cells', to the beauty of flowers and the grounding effects of working with nature's rhythms of growth, decay and regeneration, Stuart-Smith provides a new perspective on the power of gardening. Prisoners given the chance to grow plants are less likely to reoffend. At-risk young people who get their hands in the soil are more likely to stay in education. Elderly people who garden live longer and have a better quality of life. Using case studies of people struggling with stress, depression, trauma and addiction, as well as her own grandfather's return from World War I, she explores the many ways in which gardening can help transform people's lives. Presenting recent research into why people feel more fully alive and energised in the natural world, why gardeners report feeling calmer and more vigorous and why spending time in nature awakens the connection-seeking aspects of our human nature, Stuart-Smith argues that our increasingly urbanised and technology-dependent lifestyles make it more important than ever to rediscover a closer relationship with the earth.
In this glorious book of science, insight and anecdote, Stuart-Smith shows our understanding of nature and its restorative powers is just beginning to flower.
Industry Reviews
'The wisest book I've read for many years. Such a captivating blend of knowledge, practicality, insight, experience and truthfulness is very rare. Much more than a gardening book, much more than a guide to better mental health, it is a wholly convincing story of how troubled minds might find a way of reconnecting to themselves and rebuilding confidence and hope by way of nature. Everything Dr. Stuart Smith says about the mind (and I've learned so much in the way of the history of psychiatry and psychology as well as practical tips for both mind and garden) has the ring of authenticity and truth. Hugely recommended'
Stephen Fry
'A compelling and deeply moving account of how profoundly our wellbeing can be affected through contact with gardening and the natural world. This is a timely call of return. Read it.'
Edmund de Waal
'An important and timely book ... Sue Stuart-Smith's book is beautifully written drawing on a lifetime's experience as both as a clinician and a gardener, and I urge everyone to read it'
Monty Don
'Riveting, inspiring and often very moving, Sue Stuart-Smith's journey into the therapy of gardening reveals just how deep our connection with nature is, how much we risk when we cut ourselves off from it, and how much we can gain from its restorative power. A lively, compassionate exhortation for us all to get our hands back in the soil.'
Isabella Tree
