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Experts pick their top plants for wellbeing

Four specialists reveal their personal favourite plants to boost both physical and mental health

Many of us will have felt the uplifting effect of gardening, and as the RHS Wellbeing Garden Blueprint shows, the science confirms it.

“Decades of research show that time spent gardening supports both our physical and mental wellbeing,” says Dr Ashby Lavelle Sachs, an environmental health researcher and RHS Wellbeing Fellow. “It strengthens relationships with self, others and the natural world too. Whether transforming a hospital courtyard, greening a playground or tending an allotment, gardens provide opportunities for joy, connection and recovery.”

So whatever green space you have access to, it’s a valuable asset to your health. We asked four experts, including Ashby, for their top plants for wellbeing.

The rehab centre gardener

Kath Moss 

Director of Gardens at Horatio’s Garden, a charity creating beautiful outdoor spaces to aid the recovery of spinal injury patients, Kath knows the incredible impact plants can have on wellbeing.

• “Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear) is evergreen, good for ground cover and drought-tolerant. I can’t walk past it without touching the beautiful soft leaves. It’s widely used in our gardens, as having something tactile is so valuable. We try and appeal to all the senses to help people get into a really calm space. In our research, 100% of people said their mental health and self-esteem improved after using the gardens, and 71% said being in the garden helped to distract from pain.
• “Aloe vera (Barbados aloe) is easy to grow, has medicinal uses and absorbs air pollutants – a brilliant little plant. It’s a beautiful rich grey-green, structural and sits beautifully in its pot. Having green plants inside not only looks lovely but has a calming effect. I always have an Aloe vera near my desk. I also have one in my kitchen because if I burn myself the gel inside is soothing, so I can take a leaf off and rub it straight on the burn.
• “Anemone coronaria (garden anemone) has beautiful, intricate flowers you can get lost looking into. I tend to start them off early, and bring them on in the greenhouse – you can have them in flower as early as February through to April. Having bright reds and purples so early in the year – that first woosh of colour and intensity – is so mentally uplifting. There’s something flowering every day of the year in all of our gardens.”

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Stachys byzantina

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Aloe vera

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Anemone coronaria

The multi-award-winning designer

• “Rhodiola rosea (roseroot) is a super little plant that I’ve used in gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. It grows from a rhizome that has a slightly rosy smell when cut. Its leaves are grey-green and the flowers have prominent golden anthers. I was diagnosed with arthritis years ago and one of the challenges is getting a bit down about the condition. A clinician mentioned Rhodiola rosea root extract as a supplement (it’s important to check with a doctor that it’s right for you before trying it). It helps me feel more positive and takes away feelings of stress and fatigue.
• “Sansevieria ‘Black Gold’ is a lovely dark green flashed with striking gold on the edges. Sansevieria have crashed right out of favour, which is a shame. Years ago I came across NASA research into plants for cleaning the air in space stations. They wanted resilient plants to filter out toxins and Sansevieria was one of the most effective – in one study, about 50 per cent of chemicals such as benzene were removed from the air.
• “Sambucus nigra (common elder) is a plant lots of gardeners can’t tolerate, but I really like it in loose, mixed hedging. In late spring the frothy, scented blooms are loved by bees, and it’s always been linked to health and vitality – the berries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Research in Norway looked at elderberry syrup given at the onset of cold and flu symptoms. Compared with the placebo, there was a four-day reduction in the time people suffered. Note, berries must not be eaten raw.”

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Rhodiola rosea

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Sansevieria ‘Black Gold’

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Sambucus nigra

The scientist

• “Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) is a great example of the theory known as biophilia – that we have an evolutionary link to certain shapes in nature that relax the brain. Surveys suggest people prefer trees with a flat-topped canopy, perhaps as a response to the flat-topped African umbrella thorn (Acacia tortilis) dominating the savannahs humans evolved in. Japanese maples have a lovely form and soft movement. You can feel your shoulders relaxing when you look at one. Easily grown in pots.
• “Citrus × aurantiifolia (lime), along with Citrus × limon (lemon) and Citrus × aurantium (Seville orange), is like living aromatherapy. The flowers, fruit and leaves provide a bouquet of biochemicals, many of which interact positively with our own body’s biochemistry. For example, pinene (a natural compound with a woody smell reminiscent of pine trees) has been linked to anti-cancer activity and reducing adrenalin levels. I grow my plants outside in summer and love the aroma when they come inside for winter.
• “Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’ and other bright coloured cultivars such as ‘Kelvin Floodlight’ or ‘Sylvia’ can evoke good moods. Warm hues – reds, yellows and oranges – and bold flower shapes attract the eye and give a strong positive emotional response, which causes a short-term buzz. Filling your day with many small moments like these is thought to protect against poor mental health. Dahlias are variable – you can find one for most sunny spots.”

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Acer palmatum

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Citrus × aurantiifolia

Dahlia ‘Chat Noir’

The RHS Wellbeing Fellow

• “Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower) is easy to grow, so it won’t disappoint the average gardener. It has a long flowering period and is beautiful in prairie-style planting with grasses. It also attracts bees and butterflies, along with jays and goldfinches. Studies have shown that people in areas with more birdsong have measurably increased wellbeing. As you garden it builds a bridge between you and the natural world. You start to realise you’re part of something greater than yourself, so you get perspective and feel less alone.
• “Chamaemelum nobile (common chamomile) is also long flowering and a great plant for introducing children to gardening. There’s a nature deficit in our society that’s growing – research shows people’s connection to nature has dropped 60% in the past 200 years. A way to counteract that is to start people connecting with plants younger. Picking out seeds, planting and watching them grow is great for building confidence. Chamomile also smells good, connecting children to their senses.
• “Muhlenbergia capillaris (pink muhly grass) has beautiful feathery seedheads and is a fabulous plant. Having softness in your garden can be soothing, and the sound grasses make in the wind is soothing too. There are benefits from passively experiencing the plants around you. An RHS study found that including ornamental planting in front gardens improved self-reported stress and healthy diurnal cortisol patterns. Muhly grass works well with
  Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

  perennials that really pop, such as Echinops bannaticus (globe thistle).”

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Chamaemelum nobile

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Echinacea purpurea

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Muhlenbergia capillaris

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