In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, University of Florida scientists found that gardening activities lowered stress, anxiety, and depression in healthy women who attended twice-weekly gardening classes. None of the study participants had ever gardened before. Past studies have shown that gardening can help improve the mental health of people who have existing medical conditions or challenges. “Our study shows that healthy people can also experience a boost in mental wellbeing through gardening,” said Charles Guy, principal investigator of the study and a professor emeritus in the UF/IFAS environmental horticulture department.
The study was co-authored by an interdisciplinary team of researchers with the environmental horticulture department, the UF College of Medicine, the UF Center for Arts in Medicine, and the UF Wilmot Botanical Gardens, which also hosted all the study treatment sessions. Thirty-two women between the ages of 26 and 49 completed the study. All were in good health, which for this experiment meant screening for factors such as chronic health conditions, tobacco use, drug abuse, and having been prescribed medications for anxiety or depression. Half of the participants were assigned to gardening sessions, while the other half were assigned to art-making sessions. Both groups met twice a week, for eight times. Both gardening and art activities involve learning, planning, creativity, and physical movement, and they are both used therapeutically in medical settings. In the gardening sessions, participants learned how to compare and sow seeds; transplant different kinds of plants; and harvest and taste edible plants. Those in the art-making sessions learned techniques such as papermaking, printmaking, drawing, and collage. Participants completed a series of assessments measuring anxiety, depression, stress, and mood. The researchers found that the gardening and art-making groups experienced similar improvements in mental health over time, with gardeners reporting slightly less anxiety than art-makers.