24 Tuesday December 23 2008 Opinion How to nurture the green shoots of hope

ARI ASHLEY also a social health to be had His own experience of coping with the winter through gardening. blues led to the charity Thrive, A few years ago I started a scheme with a group of local drug addicts, which believes in the healing power of gardening growing vegetables and raising sheep and pigs. The idea behind it — other confess that at this time of year a beautiful garden and some of it to than seeing no reason why they my garden is a wreck washed do with the love of plants, but I could not enjoy exactly the same up against the shores of the would suggest that it is mostly to do aspects of growing things that I and house with random vegetation with the sense of wellbeing that it so many others do — was to try to clinging to it. None of this is gives everyone, whether recognisably connect those that felt most adrift Imy garden’s fault. It is simply doing ill or not. from society and whom society most its winter thing. But at this time of Anyone familiar with the British wished to disown with a real sense of year I struggle to see any good in it horticultural Establishment as place. If you get to know your piece or much else besides. The reason for manifested through societies, colleges of ground it becomes personal and this glare is that I am a sufferer of or the media will know that it is with that is a sense of responsibility SAD, which means that every winter wreathed in a kind of and nurture. You give something of I slide with banal predictability into a pseudo-scientific fog, measuring yourself to it and it gives back. reductive funnel that is self-obsessed, success in terms of plant rarity, size Sounds a bit whacky but it works. irritable, unproductive and unhappy. or a very dull received wisdom of Anyway, the group got involved and So far so predictable and so trivial. what makes for good horticultural Gardening can reconnect us with the natural world, Monty Don says many made real progress — certainly I get over it. Life goes on. But I taste. Most of this is harmless much better than locking them up deeply resent this. However, over the enough and taken for granted as the and much cheaper, too. It has not years I have learnt that, apart from “right” way to go about things in the been easy but is still going and I occasional use of antidepressants garden. But I suspect that the real would love to see more small groups and regular doses of light from pleasures of gardening are much like it all over the country. lightboxes, nothing makes this better simpler and more mysterious than Christmas Appeal Gardening is accepted as a gentle than getting outside and gardening. any of this. Gardens are as spiritual thing that people grow to love as Some of this is just being out in the as modern man gets, especially in a timesonline.co.uk/timesappeal or complete the form they drift into middle age and fresh air, especially on a crisp kind of pantheistic relationship to beyond. The truth is much more winter’s day. But if it was just that nature. It feeds back to the gardener Please send to The Times Christmas Charity Appeal, Charities Trust, powerful and dynamic than this. then a brisk walk would do the trick. a wisdom that has almost nothing to Suite 22, Century Building, Tower Street, Liverpool, L3 4BJ Gardening is the door through which There is something more going on, do with the correct Latin names of we all can go to connect with a something intimately connected to plants or the proper way of growing I wish to donate £ to the Christmas Charity Appeal. natural rhythm that can heal deep the soil and to growing things. It is them to show standard and much to All donations will be split equally between the appeal’s three causes hurts. It is a means of modern something to do with being directly do with an inarticulate, irrational, unless specifi ed in the box below society remembering and nurturing plugged into nature’s circuitry and immeasurable sense of rightness and ❏ Action for Children ❏ Pump Aid ❏ Thrive its atavistic roots, of growing some even though hopelessly off-key with belonging. If that is not one of the fresh seasonal food, of making an act life in general, in being in tune with fundamentals of good health then I Please include a cheque or postal order made payable to: The Times Christmas Charity of creation on a par with any art the weather, the seasons and the do not know what is. Appeal or complete the Mastercard/Visa/Amex details: form and tapping into a life force tiny details of one’s own garden It is also fun — or should be if you Credit card details (Switch only) that is richly empowering. that make it the idiosyncratic place are doing it right — and any keen ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ How wise of Thrive to tap into this that it is. gardener sees time outside as a treat power and to harness it for so much I got connected to the charity rather than a chore. It really does Valid from ■ ■ /■ ■ Expiry date ■ ■ /■ ■ Issue no ■ ■ Switch only good. If you garden you will know Thrive through my own personal and not matter what it is that you are Please enter your telephone number below for confi rmation purposes what I am talking about. If you have regular experience of coping with doing. There is no hierarchy in this. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ever had to cope with the stigma of winter blues and the healing effect For instance, I love hand-weeding mental ill-health you will know only that gardening has had for me, across and mowing: the former for its ❏ Gift Aid Declaration too well. And if you can give the past 35 years or more. My own gradual intimacy as I crawl through a I would like the Charities Trust to reclaim tax on this and any future anything at all to help the work that problems are minor and banal but I flower bed, getting to know the donations and to pass on to the charity/charities specified. I confirm Thrive quietly continues to do then have seen, through Thrive, how garden as close up and personal as a that I pay UK income tax at least equal to the amount which the please do so. powerful the force for good that rummaging mouse and the latter for charity may reclaim. Please provide your full address. gardening can be for people with the low-level order that it establishes. Monty Don is the gardening serious mental and physical illnesses Nothing skilful or noble about either Mr/Mrs/Ms/Other...... Forename...... Surname...... columnist and an ambassador for and how it can transform people’s activity but both need concentration Address...... Thrive. His fee for this article has been lives. Yet, although lost in and attention and both are ...... donated to the charity. admiration for the work of Thrive, I guaranteed to make me feel at peace ...... Postcode...... am not surprised at all. Why do you with myself and the world. It’s not a 6 Donations can also be made by think that 11 million plus of us in bad deal. Donations will be administered by Charities Trust (no 327489) on behalf of Action for Children (no phoning 0870 043 3764 between Britain make an effort to garden As well as physical health — far 1097940) Pump Aid (no 1077889) Thrive (no 277570). Charities Trust will use your information for 9am-4pm Monday to Friday or regularly in all the seasons of the better than any gym — mental ease claiming Gift Aid. We will not send your details to third parties, other than your nominated charity/ies. 10am-3pm at weekends. Calls cost no ❏ year? Some of it is to do with making and stimulation I believe that there is If you do not want your details shared with your nominated charity/ies, tick here more than 5p per minute

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