Public Feedback
This feedback comes from the Questionnaire for ‘A Place to Heal’.
RESPONSE ONE
How I got involved with the project
I heard about Mark’s project through a friend of a friend, who works at Treliske Hospital. He was looking for people to help take a hospital bed and plants out to public places to photograph and facilitate discussions about our connection to nature. I expressed an interest and was excited to be contacted by Mark to say he’d like me to assist him with the project.
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
A very timely project which, had it been started two decades earlier might have slowed our progression to where we are now with the environment.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
I’d like to see it working its way deeper into the operation of the NHS. I think our health system is great when you’re at death’s door, but there’s so much that could be improved to increase the health of the nation before we end up in A&E.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Not as often as I’d like.
Is there an easy way to improve this?
I suppose I could plant more plants in my garden and think about screening out the buildings that surround me so that I feel more enclosed by nature.
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
My friends had their wedding in a traditional Pagan style with flowers and plants dug up and brought to the wedding, then returned to nature afterwards. It really made me think through the effect a regular wedding would have on nature as all of those flowers would have been chopped/destroyed. I now think twice about mindlessly picking flowers/grasses when I’m walking in nature (as I used to all the time). If everyone does it (just a little) the cumulative effect would be enormous. I like the thought of doing my little bit.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
In Woodlands.
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Giant trees that make me feel as small as I suppose I really am.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
We all originate from the primordial soup that some distant ancestor dragged itself from. We are nature and it is us. I think the sooner we stop separating ourselves off from it the sooner we’ll learn to live better with it.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
I think your garden in the hospital is genius and I love the idea that this could be rolled out across hospitals around the country. It warms my heart to think of people who have spent months in an intensive care unit - who may never live outside of a hospital again - being able to be wheeled out under trees and plants, to hear birds and insects and smell flowers and be reminded the world isn’t just beeping machines and lino floors.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
What you’ve done in the hospital is, quite frankly, incredible. I think something like this should exist in every high dependency unit around the world. I hope this is the kick-starter for it to happen.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
I always kill house plants. I’m famous for it. This project has made me question why I try so hard to bring nature indoors only to neglect it and ultimately kill it. Perhaps I should instead be trying to place myself within nature more than bringing it into the sterile environment I’ve created for myself to live within.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
I think we need to integrate nature more into our lives. We need to not just have tiny pockets of it that we control tightly (like paved gardens with a little border of plants or tarmacked parking spaces with single plant pots on them. We need to understand that we are nature and should learn to thrive within our own habitat, rather than sterilising relatively huge spaces and making it impossible for nature to live within the boundaries we have set around ourselves.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
A wonderful project that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed experiencing.
RESPONSE TWO
How I got involved with the project
We toured West Cornwall one day, visiting various places where we set up the bed and invited passers by and team members to sit on the bed and discuss things (relating to nature) that meant a lot to them. I chose to discuss my struggle with depression since childhood and how the times I’d introduced nature into my life more were the times I felt an easing off of the black dog.
Early in my twenties, a doctor ‘prescribed’ me a regular working session in a community garden and, although at first I was sceptical, over time I noticed a pronounced lifting of my mood. I’d been keen to avoid taking antidepressants and I wonder if perhaps this was the edge that I needed to avoid jumping on that gravy train everyone seemed to be riding back then. I look at the friends I spoke to about my depression who confided they were tasking the pills and none of them seem to have managed to conquer their demons. Although I still have bouts these days, I feel I’m in a much better place generally than most and I can’t help but wonder at the timely correlation of my sinking bouts and inability to make it outdoors (into nature). Perhaps there’s more in it than any of us realise.
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
My mental health has always been a struggle for me and this is the first time in a long while I’ve felt seen and heard.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
If beds popped up all over the country, it’d normalise sitting on one in public and discussing the feelings someone is experiencing. I think that’d (in turn) normalise discussing such things with friends and family.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Fully immersed? Very rarely. I live in London, so maybe once or twice a year… Max.
Is there an easy way to improve this?
Taking more trips to the countryside.
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
I’ve suffered with depression since childhood. One doctor I saw in my early twenties recommended introducing more nature to my life and fixed me up with a community garden that I worked in for nearly three years. He called it a ‘prescription’. I remember being happier during those years than other years and often wonder if that was the reason. Perhaps I should try to get back into doing something similar again.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
By the coast.
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
I think growing veg made me feel happy when I was working in my community garden as it made me realise the simplicity of life - grow food to eat. Live and love.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
My initial reaction to this question is to think about refugees just trying to make a better life for themselves. I suppose we move around as much as nature does. We’re all on a journey together somewhere - who am I to decide the route for everyone? I’m just one tiny plant in a rainforest that’s constantly evolving.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Funnily enough, when a doctor (twenty years ago) prescribed working in a community garden to help with my depression, it got me thinking about what else could be done outdoors. I imagined work meetings taking place outdoors, counselling sessions being a chat while walking through the woods, dates being a hill climb, rather than a pint in the pub. This project has reminded me of that: I think I’ll go back to trying to introduce more nature unto my life as I was definitely happier back when I was doing that.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
If employers recognised the benefits of nature more, perhaps meetings could take place outside more often. Maybe entire work days could take place somewhere where nature abounds, rather than in a sterile meeting room with glass walls and plastic tables. I’m sure there’d be more creativity as a result and I think everyone would be happier with the variation in their working day and the connection to nature.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
When my Mum died, a friend bought me a standard bay tree that sits outside my front door. Whenever I pass by it, I run my fingers through it and feel closer to mum. I also use the leaves in cooking and think of her then too.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Stop using weed killer, slug pellets etc. Accept that nature has its own way and stop trying to control everything to suit just us because, ultimately, it doesn’t work well for us.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
New ways of thinking rarely come along that have as much impact as you have made with this. Nature needs to be healed more than ever in earth’s history and this project shines a light on the fact that we can (and, indeed have a responsibility to) do whatever is necessary to make sure we do that.
Quote from Anonymous Feedback
“Having just finished harvesting the fallen rose petals from the surrounding overspilling shrubs, I flopped to the ground to take stock of my treasures before being placed somewhere safe to remind me of sunnier days. With every petal I recalled the rose; its density of blooms and willingness to surrender a few, the sweet scent and of course the severity of the thorns. In the order of best ‘til last, I’d gently lay the petal in my palm and take a deep breath in, one by one. The last forced me to lay flat. It flipped me onto my back and gazed into the sky. The sky peeped through the lime green leaves of a tree that made me feel like I was in a jungle. The dome like canopy was as good as any church I’ve seen. The lime and emerald twinkling leaves that framed the dark blue sky were the greeniest I’ve seen to this day. The heady scent and twinkling sky combined with the greeniest green and enchanted me to sleep. Vaguely aware of an ant on my hand and the call of the robin above, the six year old body of a man I became rested, connected; entangled with life.”
RESPONSE FOUR
How I got involved with the project
I heard about Mark’s project through a friend. It's been a real pleasure to see what he’s working on and get to be a little part of ‘A Place to Heal’ by engaging with these questions.
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
I love this project! We need more art installations that get people talking about the things that affect them day to day: death, illness, mental health and the environment; topics that are hard to start a conversation about. As an individual, those issues can be rattling around your head, but you somehow never feel like you’re doing enough ("Am I recycling enough? Being green enough? Kind enough? Caring enough?") because the scale of the problems is intimidatingly huge. The hospital bed and its greenery feel like a symbol of our greatest challenges, but sitting on it and chatting made me feel so hopeful, too.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
The NHS is under a lot of pressure, with the silent undertow of privatisation doing unseen damage. At the same time, commercial enterprise is ripping the environment apart. If we could have visible reminders of what’s happening, like the bed, popping up in shopping centres and airports and by the side of motorways, I think those interactive sculptures would spark so many vital conversations, personal and public.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
I’m incredibly lucky because I live near the woods and I go out every day, usually early in the morning. I love being near growing things and noticing all the changes in trees, birds and wildflowers throughout the year. Nature is my way of feeling joined up with the universe and at peace.
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
Years ago, my partner died in a road accident. Later on, my dad died from bone cancer and then my daughter was stillborn. I’ve had grief counseling, and I take antidepressants, both of which have helped, but there are days when I feel overwhelmed by the loss of people I deeply loved. Recently, I went to an eco-burial, and we all wrote or drew on the box before it was buried - that was a lovely way to say goodbye, knowing our friend’s life would transmute into grass and flowers. In a similar way, looking after plants in my garden or walking in the woods makes me feel connected to loved ones who've passed on, because I know they’ve returned to the earth and grown back somewhere. Being outdoors gives me peace of mind on a lot of days.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
In woodland.
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
It’s hard to choose just one! :-) I grow very fond of things I’ve planted, especially if they have a rocky start and need a bit of extra TLC. There’s an old oak tree in the woods near my house that was struck by lightning and I always put my hand on it passing by, because I know it's been through the wars.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
My family blew about like dandelion seeds. One side sailed from Norway to Minnesota to escape the ethnic cleansing of the Sámi people. The other side upped stakes from Limerick to Grimsby because of famine. I guess a lot of plants must be similar, especially wild plants from seeds that have blown over on the wind or washed up in the tide or migrated inside a bird or insect. I love wildflowers and it’s amazing to think that each of them could be the product of some epic journey across the world.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Forest Schools and the NHS’s policy of green social prescribing are great ways of increasing people’s time outside with nature. But that’s much harder for the most vulnerable people to do, especially since Covid, when many people are still sheltering. Reading about your Healing Garden project and the hospital bed moving from place to place moved me to tears. Spending your last time together with a loved one with green things growing around you and the sky above your head would be beautiful. And the moments when people sit on the bed talking together are moments when they’re connecting with nature, too.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Schools, hospitals, care homes, council estates, inner city tower blocks and prisons all need more green spaces and more communal gardens, so that more people – especially those in deprived environments - get to feel the benefit of planting things and caring for life as it grows. What you’ve achieved with this project so far is brilliant and I would love to see it spread to other places that need this the most.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
My dad was a keen gardener. My best memories of him are out in nature, planting and composting, or going on a walk around the coast near Mevagissey and peering into hedgerows and rock pools. He had an enormous Swiss cheese plant that had taken over one corner of the house I grew up in, and whenever I was feeling sad as a child, I hid under its leaves and pretended I was in a jungle somewhere. I potted a little offshoot of it and the adult of that plant fills its own corner now. Sitting beside it makes me feel that my memories of my dad grew leaves.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Climate change seems like the elephant in the room that a lot of people either don’t believe in or can’t bear to contemplate. Recycling, not using pesticides, buying second-hand and rewilding the space around you feel like places to start, but if we talk more about the small things we could all do, and educate each other, I think it would help a lot.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
I really love this project, which has such a big heart at its centre! Keep it going. It’s amazing!
RESPONSE FIVE
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
Nature and healing are intrinsically linked and the piece is such a beautiful exploration of that. It’s sensitive and thought provoking.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
How different cultures/countries use nature within healing
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Once or twice
Is there an easy way to improve this?
More hybrid working would allow for increased opportunities to be in nature - the majority of my week is working or commuting
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
During the pandemic when I was struggling with my mental health (threat of redundancy, physical illness etc) I often would sit in Peckham Rye park after work and watch the sunset and notice the green around me, it was incredibly grounding and calming.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
By the coast
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Ferns - they are lush, and so green, and the texture of their fronds is almost feather like
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
Growth, expansion, and periods of dying back and hibernation. Cyclical.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Therapy. And Mediation whether it’s between family, friends or work colleagues.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Dr surgeries and hospitals, treatment centres. Schools and colleges should have green spaces to undertake lessons (not just PE)
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
I was given a leafy green houseplant as a gift and had it in my bedroom by the door in a corner, when we rearranged the room after a year we moved the plant to closer to a window and away from the floor and it was like a switch had been flicked - the colour of the leaves became more vivid, you could see it move in response to water and light, it looked… happier! And that made me happy too.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Eat a predominantly plant based diet
RESPONSE SIX
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
It opens your mind to the healing capability of nature
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
More please! And explorations on different environments and other people's experiences
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Once or twice
Is there an easy way to improve this?
Moving out of the city, or better weather
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
The sound of water on the beach has a very calming effect on me
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
By the coast
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
No particular plant but tall tree foliage feels quite comforting
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
A plant can go through all kinds physical transformations, from seedling, to blooming to dormancy in colder months and big growth in warmer months. We also have these moments throughout life where we appear more vibrant and others where we seem less so, but this is part of our natural life cycle
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Walking in nature can allow us to be social without the normal pressures of life, it is a more relaxed and engaging environment to enjoy the pleasures of the outer being and fill the gaps of silence in a fulfilling way.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Every space can incorporate nature, a small pot plant or succulent can add that touch of nature to even the smallest of empty spaces.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
I like to surround myself with lots of indoor plants in my very urban environment at home. This helps me to feel a touch of nature in what can be a very oppressive space, opening up a more relaxing feeling for me.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Be more mindful of our spaces, visit an nature near us to be immersed in it and to take care that it is helped and thriving for us and into the future.
RESPONSE SEVEN
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
I think it’s a great idea. I have some experience of healing gardens when one, which incorporated sculpture, was installed at St Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight when I worked there.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
I don’t know know much about this project but think every hospital should have a healing garden
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Every day - I have a lively dog so plenty of exercise twice a day is non-negotiable
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
It’s always been v important to me - especially so now that my husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
Other
If you answered ‘Other’ above, could you add a bit more detail to your answer?
Anywhere in nature.
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
I love the greenery of trees, the scent of flowers and the power of the sea.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
It’s all about the cycle of life and the rhythm of the seasons.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Just walking/being alongside someone.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
I definitely think everyone would benefit from having access to a garden or outside area.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
I’m very attached to a couple of box bushes in pots that I’ve been nurturing for years.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
By becoming more caring and thoughtful, less acquisitive and aware of the negative impact we have on the environment.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
I’d like to know more about the project.
RESPONSE EIGHT
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
Fantastic and very inspiring project with proven benefits for those in need of natural and stress free interventions. Having access to the natural environment in its various forms is an invaluable resource and should be promoted as much as possible.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
When resources permit, suggest rolling this idea out to other hospitals, not just in Cornwall. With regard the Truro Hospital, it would be wonderful if some of the area could be covered if practicable so that patients could experience the garden in all weathers and times of the day and night, such as the freshness of air after a storm and the stars on a cloudless night.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Every day: I am lucky enough to live in the countryside and constantly surrounded by the natural environment. It is a matter of education to explain the benefits of being outdoors experiencing nature on a regular basis. Realising this is not possible for everyone, indoor and window edge plants can also have positive benefits for people. Even in urban areas, local planning authorities through their policies are at great pains to ensure green open spaces are planned into new developments and there is easy access to nearby green space.
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
Not any one particular time, but a walk along the coastline, in woods or up the rugged cairns always does wonders for my state of mind and alleviates stress.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
By the coast
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Honeysuckle and jasmine (sorry, two plants!)
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
In my imagination, the journey of a plant starts with a seed that randomly selects a nurturing environment, takes root, develops, blossoms, goes to seed and the cycle starts again. My parallel with this is always being fortunate enough to choose places to live that have allowed me to cultivate and further my interests and then sown seeds to move to other inspiring and nourishing places.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
Not quite sure to interpret this question, but trying to break down barriers and inequalities to accessing natural places is my generalised answer.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Definitely the high street in towns and cities and areas around the work place wherever possible.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Use less pesticides, allow more managed natural reclamation, encourage the creation of more accessible open spaces especially in urban environments and empower people through education to take 'ownership' of the future of their environment.
RESPONSE NINE
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
Much needed. Life stressful for most folk, even children
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
More of it would be awesome. Hospitals, schools, colleges, public areas where there is nothing
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
A few times a week
Is there an easy way to improve this?
Incorporating nature into as many places as possible
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
When I was living in London the parks were essential to wellbeing
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
Other
If you answered ‘Other’ above, could you add a bit more detail to your answer?
Near green space & windows
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Pine trees, their smell is healing
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
Something deliberate about us all being here now with the plants and a connection between all living things. Life force, love
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
It would be amazing if we could have work meetings in green space. Could you imagine what it might be like to get politicians to meet outside......?!
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Everywhere possible, even a small oasis. We could have a lot more. Stations could do with it
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
In the 1960's there was a children's programme called Bill & Ben the Flowerpot Men. They had a friend called Little Weed. Loved that programme & the friendship between the characters.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Teach our children about nature as part of the curriculum all through schools and universities. Get them involved. Teach them about growing food, make it a natural part of everyone's life
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
Thank you for inviting us in to this X
RESPONSE TEN
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
A beautiful idea for patients who want to get back to the natural feeling with being with nature once again.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
This should be considered in most hospitals as an alternative, away from the hustle and bustle of hospital ward routine.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
A few times a week
Can you think of a way to improve this?
Self discipline, making sure you do spend time within nature
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
A few years ago I suffered from trauma and depression. Taking time to be with nature is the most amazing uplifting healer.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
By the coast
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Daffodils, the vibrant colours are up lifting.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
A plant grows up from the dark soil into the light and forms something beautiful, I was in a dark place but now there is light.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
By encouraging people to be outdoors whenever possible to get the benefits of light, fresh air and being with nature.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Spaces can be made into nature oasis’s where people can feel close to peace.
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
Lavender, a beautiful smelling plant. Easy to grow and with healing properties, a ' small sprig in your pillow case to help sleep, so lovely.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Education, a must, to inform our younger generation on sustainability.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
The idea of A Place to Heal is wonderful idea, this needs to be promoted through all sections of the NHS
RESPONSE ELEVEN
What are your thoughts on ‘A Place to Heal’?
What a beautiful and powerful project! I don't think it's any accident that people have always brought ill people flowers as they lay recuperating and healing (or dying). What better way to heal than lay amongst living plants, flowers, insects and open air elements. These curated spaces with accessibility for beds and necessary accompanying equipment need to be in every place of healing.
Do you have any suggestions for the future direction of this project?
I know hospitals, care homes and hospices often have gardens and outdoor spaces to sit or walk in, but going the extra mile and making them fully accessible for those with full incapacitation (bedbound) seems essential. An outside nature ward. I understand how complicated this might be in terms of set-up, and the impact upon staff, but if the design accommodates weather changes (shades etc) and easy access I can imagine most spaces being up for it. Also the opportunity to get local services (garden centres, schools, colleges etc involved would utilise community spirit and connection to.
How often do you manage to be within nature each week?
Every day
Is there an easy way to improve this?
Create areas full of plants, even indoors, with sitting/working areas.
Can you recount a time when nature had a positive influence on you?
Having grown up in the countryside, nature is where I plug myself in to regenerate, rest, invigorate, find inspiration and play. The more I feel like I'm in a jungle the better - whatever I'm doing! As a child I learnt about seasons by playing amongst the ever changing landscape of plants (and beautiful weeds!), hedgerows and trees. Witnessing how things come and go and come again. It gave me a sense of time and how nothing stays still for long. This was useful during the covid years when I walked in local woodlands, witnessing the changes and passing of time. Nature puts things into context, time, life, death, flowers, fruit, winter, spring, summer, autumn - and how we all depend on it and are part of it.
If you imagine being ill in a hospital bed, where would be your ideal place for that bed to be situated?
In woodlands. I ALSO want to see the stars! As much nature as possible please. Greedy for nature!
Is there a particular plant that ever makes you feel better?
Ferns.
If you were to imagine the journey of a plant and how it may have got there, what parallels could be made with how you have got to where you are today?
I immediately imagine bird poo of course. haha. But I also think of a grand adventure journey, where a great perfect shiny seed got picked up by a magpie and flown over forests, dropped in rivers, carried down streams, eaten by fish who were picked up by herons, flown to mountain tops, coughed out and landing on lillypads, found by humans, inset into jewellery, passed down through generations, presented to queens, worn in ceremonies, stolen by thieves, sold on blackmarkets and buried for safekeeping, then grown into a plant, nurtured by loving families, producing sprouts which were taken all over the world by and somehow ended up in my back garden.
Are there ways of interacting with people that would benefit from being outdoors if it were a realistic possibility?
If every business utilised ANY outside space they had and took all interactions outdoors it would be better. Obviously there is weather to contend with (and noise, roads etc) but places need to look at how small cafes do it. They use every inch of 'allowed' outdoor space for customers to sit on pavements, courtyards and even alleys.
Are there spaces where it would be good to get nature closer to everyday activities to enrich our lives?
Everywhere. The more boring or serious the 'work' carried out in the space, the more nature needed!
Is there a story about a plant you’d like to share?
Not really, but I do think of myself as a plant, and always consider the environment that I need to survive. Light, position, nutrients etc! I was in a 'small pot' for decades, then I moved to better climates and life flourished more for me.
How do you think we could do better to help the environment in a sustainable way?
Education around how easy it is to grow stuff. It somehow still blows my mind that I can pick a seed from a fruit I bought at tesco then grow an entire plant that will feed me from it. Same with cuttings and basic knowledge about soil and nutrients. If we all just got used to doing it all the time as much as possible, for fun even, think how green everything would be.
If you have any other comments, please add them below.
When I was in Singapore I loved how they turned each motorway bridge into a jungle. They also had balconies all over skyscrapers that had gardens (and trees!) on. I love walls and roofs that are totally living too. 'Gardens' don't have to be big spaces to walk about it. Surfaces can be gardens too. I love that.