Richard Claxton is a former GP, a garden designer, writer and founder and became CEO of the National Garden Scheme in 2025. Richard, worked as a GP in Tonbridge for 23 years and is an advocate of nature-based therapies, via social prescribing, for mental and physical wellbeing.

You’re feeling depressed and more than a little anxious. Pressure at work is mounting and your homelife isn’t the haven you need it to be right now. After weeks of putting it off, you decide to bite the bullet and head over to your GP to ask for some advice.

Your GP smiles and reassures you that they’ve got the perfect prescription. Not only does it have an impressive success rate at reducing anxiety and combatting depression, but patients have reported countless beneficial side effects too: a drop in blood pressure and heart rate, lower cortisol levels (the ‘stress hormone’), a boosted immune system, improved strength and flexibility, healthy weight loss, and a reduction in incidences of heart attack and stroke.

You are astounded. Thanking the doctor, you hurry away to collect your prescription. But you aren’t heading to a pharmacy. You are making your way to a therapeutic garden.

Richard Claxton (1984, C) has been a partner at his GP practice in West Kent for 25 years, having previously worked in Paediatrics to registrar level, and sandwiched a Psychology degree in the middle of his medical training.  His role as a GP has allowed him to form deep connections with his patients, who he sees over many years – witnessing the impact of lifestyle and work on their health, sometimes over multiple generations.

Nature, and specifically gardening, has been a part of Richard’s life since his childhood.

“I remember gardening as a kid with my granddad in his garden in Devon. He was very gentle and very kind. We grew sweet peas together, and he had an amazing vegetable garden. I’ve tried to grow sweet peas every year since, in his memory.”

During difficult periods, as well as to combat the daily ups and downs of life, Richard has found gardening to be profoundly beneficial. As well as enjoying the physicality of it, the opportunity to be creative and the low-stakes trial-and-error nature of gardening are both rewarding and a good way to balance the pressures of a career.

While visiting and blogging about gardens during lockdown, Richard first came across therapeutic gardens, spaces that are designed to promote physical and mental wellbeing, either by passively enjoying the space, or active involvement in horticulture. Excited by the possibilities that this confluence of his professional and personal passions might hold for his patients, Richard began noting the locations of therapeutic gardens and recommending them where he could. And, to help people locate the resources they needed, he started a website with an interactive map of therapeutic gardens.

“My patients know me quite well, and they aren’t surprised when I recommend heading outside or investigating a nearby green therapy option, rather than just reaching for the antidepressants.”

While Richard is happy to confess to being a ‘bit of a hippy’, he has a wealth of scientific research to back up his claims. In a number of studies, it has been shown that access to and interaction with green spaces results in boosts to cognitive development, improved behaviour, and enhanced immune regulation in children. Children with plenty of exposure to nature are also less likely to develop asthma, eczema and type one diabetes. Other studies suggest an association between the ‘greenness’ and presence of tree canopy in residential areas and bone mineral density, kidney health, and fewer incidences of dementia. One 2022 study concluded that green spaces and nature-based interventions (‘green therapies/eco therapies’) were observed to beneficially impact health outcomes for cardiovascular and cancer conditions.

There are countless studies out there, but a first port of call for further reading might be NHS Forest (https://nhsforest.org/evidence/) which brings together a number of relevant studies.

How is therapeutic gardening able to help people improve their mental health?

Therapeutic horticulture can take many different forms, but an example is a course of 10 weeks with each session lasting a couple of hours, either in small groups or one-on-one with a trained therapist. For all sorts of reasons, a therapy session in a clinical environment is unsuitable for many patients. The almost confrontational ‘eye-to-eye’ scenario of sitting in a consulting room, where there is an innate power imbalance, can be challenging for anyone, but particularly for those who are already dealing with traumatic situations or are neurodivergent.

Working on a flowerbed, planting radishes or weeding, creates a balanced, productive context through which conversations can be woven. It’s a way of coming at difficult conversations from an oblique angle which is more comfortable for those who typically find it harder to open up, like men or teenagers.

Combining a practical task with talking therapy also balances the activity in the brain – allowing both the right- and left-sides to work simultaneously which, we find, allows people to express their thoughts and emotions. Therapeutic horticulture has been shown to be as good, if not better, than an equivalent 10-week cognitive behavioural therapy course. And, if NHS commissioners need more persuading, it’s half the price.

Is there a disparity between access to garden therapies across the UK and, if so, how can we fix that?

There’s a huge disparity. In the UK, 12% of people have no access to a garden or green space in their residence. If you live in London, that jumps to 21%. And, if you are black or Asian living in London, there’s a 40% chance that you do not have access to a garden or green space, even a balcony. This is why therapy gardens are so important, but it is rare to find them in urbanised areas.

Therapeutic gardens are usually founded by charities or philanthropic individuals, but we are starting to see NHS gardens too, for instance, St James in Leeds, Lewisham, Woking and Colchester.

If a run-down OR came into your practice asking for help with stress or depression, how would you advise they begin exploring green therapies?

If you’ve never done any gardening, start with a walk at a National Trust property or a local park. If you can get to a local wood or forested area, even better. Perhaps take the family and make it a day out. If you have a busy home and work life, you might be hesitant to commit to a programme. But getting out into nature is a great first step. If you can, spend time in your own garden, grow something – flowers, vegetables. Experiment, and if things don’t work, that’s okay – there’s always another season, another year. You’ll be surprised how quickly being creative, active and productive can boost your mood. Over time, you’ll reap the longer-term physical and mental benefits too.

Most importantly, if you are struggling with any ill health – mental or physical – there are people and resources to help you. Speak to your GP and don’t suffer in silence.

 

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