Mental health is often discussed only when something has gone wrong. Yet mental health, like physical health, exists on a continuum. We all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, and many of the choices we make each day can influence how well we feel.

Most people do not wait until they develop physical health problems before they go for a walk, ride a bicycle or spend time being active. We increasingly recognise that movement contributes to physical health throughout life. Mental wellbeing should be viewed in a similar way.

Beyond supporting people experiencing difficulties, horticulture also has a role in helping people maintain wellbeing, build social connections, reduce stress, spend time outdoors and engage more regularly with the living world. In that sense, the conversation is not only about treatment, it is also about prevention, resilience and quality of life.

Across healthcare settings, community projects, therapeutic programmes, schools, social prescribing initiatives and everyday gardens, examples are emerging of horticulture being used in ways that support wellbeing. Researchers are studying it, practitioners are implementing it and organisations are investing in it. This page explores what the evidence says, where horticulture is already being used, and what opportunities may exist to better recognise its contribution to mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health and wellbeing have become some of the defining public health challenges of our time. While much attention is rightly focused on people experiencing significant mental health difficulties, wellbeing is relevant to everyone. Stress, loneliness, social isolation, uncertainty, bereavement, financial pressures and major life transitions affect people throughout their lives. Even when they do not lead to clinical mental health conditions, they can still influence quality of life, physical health, relationships and community participation.

In Ireland, the Healthy Ireland Survey 2024 reported that 12% of adults had a probable mental health problem, a figure that remains higher than recorded before the pandemic. At the same time, demand for mental health services continues to place pressure on healthcare systems, while loneliness and social isolation are increasingly recognised as important public health concerns.

Growing attention is being paid to the environments in which people live, work and spend their time, and to whether everyday activities and green spaces can play a role in supporting wellbeing before people reach crisis point. That is where horticulture is beginning to attract serious attention.

The relationship between people and the living world has been studied for decades. A growing body of evidence suggests that interaction with gardens, plants, growing spaces and green environments can contribute positively to mental health and wellbeing. Importantly, the evidence does not suggest that horticulture is a cure for mental illness, nor that it can replace professional healthcare when needed. Rather, it suggests that horticulture may play a valuable role alongside other approaches.

Healthcare systems are increasingly recognising that health and wellbeing are influenced by more than clinical interventions alone. In England, NHS Green Social Prescribing programmes have connected thousands of people with nature-based activities including gardening and community growing. Early evaluations reported improvements in wellbeing and increased social connection. In Ireland, social prescribing programmes are also developing, reflecting growing recognition that community participation, meaningful activity and social connection play important roles in supporting wellbeing.

When these reviews, community gardening studies and social prescribing evaluations are considered together, a consistent picture begins to emerge. Interaction with plants, gardens, growing spaces and the wider living world appears capable of supporting mental health and wellbeing across a variety of settings and populations. The evidence does not suggest that horticulture replaces healthcare. It does suggest it is a valuable contributor to wellbeing.

Research is important, but evidence becomes even more compelling when it can be seen in practice. Across Ireland and internationally, horticulture is already being used in ways that support wellbeing, encourage social connection and create opportunities for meaningful engagement with the living world.

At Bord Bia Bloom 2026, the Mental Health Commission's Future in Mind show garden offered a powerful example of how horticulture can contribute to wider conversations about wellbeing and community care. Designed by Joe Eustace, the garden received a Gold Medal, Best in Show for Planting and the Overall Medium Garden Award. It was created to reflect the changing nature of mental healthcare in Ireland and the growing emphasis on community-based services. The garden demonstrated how planted spaces can be used to communicate, support and encourage conversations around wellbeing and quality of life.

Social prescribing is increasingly being used to connect people with activities, services and sources of support within their communities. In Ireland, programmes supported by healthcare and community organisations are helping connect people with community activities including, in some locations, gardening and growing projects. Horticulture is not the only activity involved, but it is increasingly recognised as one capable of combining physical activity, social interaction, purpose, learning and engagement with the living world within a single experience.

Praxis Care's Seedlings programme is one of the most established examples of social and therapeutic horticulture currently operating on the island of Ireland. It uses gardening and horticultural activities to support participants in working towards personal goals relating to wellbeing, confidence, skills development and community participation. Rather than being viewed solely as a hobby, horticulture is being applied here as part of wider approaches that seek to support wellbeing and personal development.

The establishment of the Association of Social and Therapeutic Horticulture Facilitators in Ireland (ASTHFI) in 2022 reflects the growing recognition of horticulture as a professional wellbeing practice. ASTHFI supports practitioners using horticulture in therapeutic, educational and community settings throughout Ireland. The existence of a dedicated professional body demonstrates that therapeutic horticulture is a developing field of practice, not simply an emerging idea.

Across Ireland, community gardens, allotments and shared growing projects are creating opportunities for people to connect through horticulture. Research into community gardening repeatedly highlights these social dimensions, suggesting that growing spaces contribute not only to individual wellbeing but also to social cohesion and community resilience. For many participants, the garden becomes more than a place to grow plants. It becomes a place to belong.

NHS England's Green Social Prescribing programme, one of the largest examples operating at scale, connected thousands of participants with gardening and nature-based activities between 2021 and 2023. Early evaluations reported improvements in wellbeing, increased social connection and strong engagement. The programme demonstrates that horticulture is already being incorporated into health and wellbeing strategies at significant scale.

Perhaps its greatest strength is not any one individual benefit but the combination of benefits that can emerge from a single activity. A horticultural session can involve physical movement, social interaction, learning, purpose, creativity, sensory engagement and contact with the living world simultaneously. Viewed in this way, horticulture begins to look less like a hobby and more like a form of social infrastructure capable of contributing to healthier, happier and more resilient communities.

The evidence base continues to evolve and many questions remain. Yet the examples explored throughout this page suggest that horticulture is already contributing to wellbeing in a variety of ways across Ireland and beyond.

Perhaps the most significant opportunity is not to think differently about mental health. It is to think differently about horticulture. Not simply as a hobby, leisure activity or aesthetic pursuit, but as a practical discipline capable of contributing to wider social goals. Connection, participation, purpose, belonging and quality of life. The opportunity is to better understand, recognise and build upon those contributions.

This is part of a wider conversation explored throughout the Beyond Gardens series, which looks at the role horticulture can play across health, community, biodiversity, food security, climate resilience and placemaking in Ireland.