Gardening can't cure hot flashes, brain fog, and other menopause-related symptoms, but it can help women cope.
“We know that when people go through menopause, they have an increased risk of [mental health problems] and osteoporosis. So anything that gets people active and improves their mental health is good," says menopause expert Dr Louise Newson, who is collaborating with award-winning garden designer Ruth Gwynne to create the Newson Health Menopause Garden in This year's BBC Gardeners World Live in Birmingham, NEC.
"Our aim for this exciting garden is to give visitors an opportunity to see the benefits of gardening for menopause and mental health. Finding things that lift your mood and give you moments of joy is so important for mental health," she notes. Gwinn.
"Many women struggle to adjust and come to terms with peri/menopause and feel lost, so creating a peaceful and supportive space for maintaining menopause health can be important."
The exhibition garden will create a visually rich yet peaceful environment with a lounge area, yoga corner and outdoor kitchen area.
“There is weak evidence that exercise or eating certain foods can improve menopause,” says Newson, “but what I wanted to create this garden was to give people time and space to think and feel better. They're taking HRT [menopause]. .hormone replacement therapy] doesn't really matter, it's about improving your mental and physical health, having space, free time, reflection.
Want to create a garden for your mental and physical well-being during menopause? Gwynn and Newson offer the following advice…
Make it fragrant
Newson notes that the sense of smell can change during menopause, so having fragrant flowers in your garden can give you a sense of heightened awareness.
Gwynn adds, "Flowers that have a specific scent or pungent leaves, especially when crushed, can really help with mindfulness and being in the moment. Herbs add great flavor.
Think about the nutritional benefits
Cooking outside can be therapeutic. Newson suggests that people might also consider growing plants to make herbal teas so they can drink caffeinated beverages, which can disrupt sleep, as sleep is often affected by menopause.
Gwynne added: "Nutrition is an incredibly important part of coping with menopause. You need to create something that you enjoy doing, so if it's cooking, try to create an outdoor kitchen and dining area and you can grow vegetables in pots or herbs.These are relatively easy and can really boost your gardening confidence.
Create a yoga break
If you already practice yoga to ease peri/menopausal symptoms, turn a small space into a yoga space or use it for meditation or mindful breathing. If you have a sunny area, create a place to sit and get your vitamin D, advises Gwin.
Feel the benefits
"Nerves can often be affected during menopause due to lower hormone levels and people can feel their skin has changed. Touching things can really calm the whole sensory garden,” says Newson. Add tactile plants that you can slide.
Plan your landing
"Have more than one place to sit," suggests Gwin. "If you have stamina problems, it's good to stand up and sit down a few times. Gardening can be hard work and I often have to keep myself from getting stressed and overwhelmed. Now I try to make gardening easier for myself.
Enable Raised Limits
“I have a mix of beds and borders at different heights, so I'm not cleaning at the same level. It's very rewarding to see the progress you've made when you've just cleared the weeds, and it's even better to see how beautiful your garden is when it grows back,” says Gwin.
Keep the landscape simple
"One of the easiest surfaces to clean, which is porous and therefore helps with rainwater runoff, is gravel," suggests Gwin. “For the exhibition garden paths, I use recycled gravel (placed in a substrate) spread over a recycled plastic cellular structure. The honeycomb holds it in place and makes it a really durable surface.
Get creative with containers!
"You can get really creative with container gardens. You can incorporate them into the color scheme of the garden, but don't forget to feed the plants because they just depend on you for food and water," advises Gwin.
BBC Gardeners World Live runs from 15 to 18 June. Visit bbcgardenersworldlive.com
