Interview with Lucy Butler | Mindful Gardening

Lucy Butler aka The Mindful Gardener is a RHS-qualified horticulturalist with a passion for promoting mindful gardening and using nature to support mental health and wellbeing.

Gardening has helped her find stillness and strength during her own mental health struggles.

Now, she guides others on their own healing journeys, using the garden as a space for calm, connection and growth. She shares her journey and knowledge to help people experience gardening not as a task but as a mindful grounding practice that supports mental and emotional wellbeing and reconnects them to the present moment. 

Personal story & background:

Can you tell us how your love of gardening began and how it evolved into the mindful gardening journey you share today?

Gardening has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My mom is a keen gardener and I spent a lot of time outdoors as a child so I always had a bit of an interest in gardening but it took me a while to realise how much gardening and nature really helped my mental health.

I've suffered with my mental health on and off since my late teens. Depression, anxiety, low self esteem, the list goes on.

The turning point for me was during a particularly severe bout of depression - at the time I had a busy job working for a property company in Birmingham and on the commute to work one day, feeling emotionally and physically exhausted and anxious at the prospect of yet another day in the office trying to hide my feelings, I noticed a flower at the side of the path.

The sight of that flower made me feel happy and lighter somehow. I had noticed something other than how awful I was feeling and although that feeling was fleeting, it was a positive sign.  

It was then I realised I needed to take things back to basics and start focusing on my surroundings, to pay attention to nature, to be more mindful as this is what would help me heal.

It started slowly, just trying to notice something new in nature on my way to work everyday but this quickly translated into the garden, I started to learn more about mindful gardening, and just like that a passion was ignited. Simply put gardening and nature have saved me and continue to do so. My garden is my haven, a place where I can be myself, it has an instant calming effect on me, it brings me a sense of peace, it makes me happy.

What were some early moments when you realised gardening was helping your own mental health?

Those early days after having my 'lightbulb moment on the way to work was when it all started to fall into place.

I realised that I needed to build on that feeling I'd got when I'd first noticed that flower at the side of the path. At the time I'd not long bought my first home and for the first time had access to my own garden, the perfect way to immerse myself in nature on a daily basis in a safe and calming environment. It was only a small garden but I enjoyed putting my own stamp on it, tending to the existing plants and even growing a few edibles. 

My hanging basket cherry tomatoes were a huge success!

What's your favourite part of gardening?

This is a hard one to answer as there's just so much I love about gardening.

I love that feeling of hope, joy and pride that you get from gardening.

That feeling that you've created and nurtured something beautiful and special that you get to watch flourish over time.  There's something really magical about that. I also love how much gardening teaches us, you never stop learning!

Finding Light In The Garden:

For many people Blue Monday can feel like a tough day emotionally - what does "finding light in the garden" mean to you?

For me, finding light in the garden means taking things back to basics and paying attention to the small things.

Winter can be really tough on our mental health and its easy to think there's not much to do or see in the garden at this time of year but this is definitely not the case. In fact its more important than ever to make sure you find time to get out and about on a regular basis to help support your mental health and wellbeing during those darker months. There are lots of quick and simple activities you can do in the garden at this time of year to help you find light in the garden.

Some of my favourite activities include:

Feeding the Birds: This is is a double win in my book. Not only do you get the satisfaction of knowing that you are providing them with a regular source of food when it may be scarce elsewhere, but you get to joy of having them regularly visiting your garden. Observing wildlife is the ultimate mindful gardening activity, helping to keep you in the present moment and bringing joy and a sense of calm.

Garden Wanders. Getting by outside and moving your body is one of the best things you can do if you suffer with mental health conditions. Taking time to observe the garden as it really is at this time of year is a lovely thing to do. Many plants have bare stems and branches allowing you to see and appreciate their true structure, this helps you to stay in tune with the rhythm of your garden throughout the season and you’d be amazed at just how much is going on when you stop to take a look. 

Can you share a memorable garden moment that lifted your spirits or shifted your mindset?

I think it has to be when I decided to adopt my 'little and often' technique in the garden. There's always lots to do in the garden and I had started to think that it all needed doing in one go. I would have a list of jobs and would start several at a time in a bid to get them all finished. This was completely counterproductive as it just left me with lots of unfinished jobs and a sense of frustration and chaos at the end of a gardening session.

I realised that the one thing that was supposed to be helping my mental health was in fact hindering it and I'd started to see gardening as just another chore, the very opposite of the mindful gardening philosophy I was trying to adopt.

Now I've switched spending long periods of time in the garden every so often for short bursts on a regular basis. 

I'm planning my time carefully ensuring I set myself a manageable list of things to do within the time I have and making sure I complete them before moving on to the next thing. This has made the time I have in the garden far more productive, giving that sense of satisfaction at the end of it and it has also restored the feeling of calm in my garden.

What simple gardening activities do you find most grounding for stress or anxiety?

The best gardening activities to combat stress and anxiety are those that are repetitive in nature and happily there are lots of them.

Sowing, mowing, weeding and deadheading are some of my favourites.

Repetitive garden activities are good because they require very little thought allowing your brain to calm down and the continual rhythmic movement to redirect your mental and physical focus away from your worries and anxieties.

The repeated physical movement also helps to release negative energy.

Practical and Styling:

What are some small, achievable gardening tips you'd suggest to someone who wants to use their garden as a wellbeing space?

There are lots of small changes you can make to your garden if you want to use it as a wellbeing space. The addition of water is essential. Water encourages mindfulness and self reflection. 

Watching moving water is mesmerising and has the ability to capture your attention and hold it, allowing you to be present in the moment. Conversely still water gives you time for reflection and allows you to observe things as they really are. The sound of running water is naturally soothing and acts as a natural stress reliever, helping you to relax and unwind. Adding water into your garden is easier than you might think and you don't need a huge amount of space, bird baths, steel water bowls and container ponds are all great options for smaller gardens. Sensory planting is also a must. 

Adding plants that engage all five senses will help transform your space into a haven of tranquility and enhance your wellbeing. Try to grow a wide range of plants with diverse forms, textures, scents, colours, sounds and tastes.  Some of my favourite sensory plants include Lavender, Salvias, Rosemary, Calendula, Sunflowers and Ornamental grasses.

Make space for wildlife. This will bring with it unbridled joy I promise you. The addition of water will certainly help but growing pollinator friendly plants, adding bug hotels and nesting boxes and providing a regular food source are all easy and effective ways to ensure your space becomes a haven for wildlife, helping you to foster that all important connection with nature which is known to be calming and healing.

Are there misconceptions about gardening for mental health that you'd like to challenge?

There are lots of misconceptions but here are a couple of my personal favourites!

You need a large outdoor space to practice mindful gardening - not true at all, I always say as long as you’ve got a windowsill you can grow something. Mental health benefits can be gained from nurturing indoor plants, creating a balcony garden or a container garden on a small terrace, there are so many options.

Its only effective if you're good at it. Many people avoid gardening for fear of killing plants and assume that if they do so this will somehow impact negatively on their mood.

However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Gardening is very much a learning process and the therapeutic value often comes from the process of nurturing the plants from seed to bloom and the growing journey you experience along the way.

Looking back on your own journey, what advice would you give your younger self about gardening and mental health?

Don't be afraid to give it a go and try not to get too disheartened if things don't go to plan. In gardening there will always be successes and failures and you have to roll with the punches. Gardening is a learning process and the best way to learn is to get stuck in. Even the most experienced gardeners have things that go well and things that don't quite go to plan.

Gardening is about celebrating the successes, learning from the mistakes and adapting to your environment.

Likewise when it comes to mindful gardening don't beat yourself up for 'doing it wrong'. Remember mindful gardening is a practice and when we practice something we are repeating it regularly in order to become proficient.  If you find your mind wandering (which it inevitably will), pause and try to gently bring yourself back to the present moment and above all keep going and don't give up - your mental health will thank you for it.