Abstract
Research shows that gardens are important for wellbeing. To examine garden use and wellbeing during the first Covid-19 lockdown, a sample of 850 UK respondents were asked to recall their experiences and use of their home gardens between March and May 2020.
Key findings include:
• Gardens were used frequently during the lockdown, with around 60% visiting their garden at least once a day.
• Gardens were used more frequently than other natural environments during lockdown.
• More frequent garden visits were associated with better wellbeing.
• But more than 1 in 10 either had no access to a garden, or found it difficult to access one.
• Ethnic minorities and those with a low household income were more likely to have no garden access or find access difficult.
• Younger respondents were more likely to have difficult or no garden access than older respondents, with those under 47 years of age reporting the greatest difficulties.
• The more nature in the garden, the greater the wellbeing of respondents.
• Certain aspects of nature were particularly associated with improved wellbeing: natural sounds and smells, and animals, birds and insects.
• Respondents did multiple activities in their gardens, with 43% gardening, 27% spending time resting, sitting and lying down, 21% reading, 14% watching and feeding nature, 13% listening to music, radio and podcasts, and 11% enjoying the weather.