Menopause: Gardening can help, say experts ahead of BBC Gardeners’ World Live at Birmingham’s NEC

Gardening may not cure hot flushes, brain fog and other symptoms associated with menopause – but it could help women through it.“We know that when people are menopausal they have increased risk of mental health [problems] and osteoporosis. So anything that makes people active and improves their mental health is good,” says menopause expert Dr Louise Newson – who is collaborating with award-winning garden designer Ruth Gwynn to create the Newson Health Menopause Garden at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live show at Birmingham’s NEC.
By Hannah Stephenson
Published 9th May 2023, 11:45 BST

“Our aim is for this immersive garden to enable visitors to see the benefits of gardening on both menopause and mental health. Finding things that lift one’s mood and bring you moments of joy are key for mental health,” Gwynn observes.

“Many women struggle to adapt and accept the peri/menopause and feel they have lost themselves, so creating a peaceful and supportive space can be enormously important to aid menopause health.”

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The show garden will offer a visually enriching yet calm atmosphere, with a space for relaxation, a yoga corner, and an area for outdoor cooking.

Dr Louise Newson. Picture: Newson Health/Andrew Crowley/PA Photo.Dr Louise Newson. Picture: Newson Health/Andrew Crowley/PA Photo.
Dr Louise Newson. Picture: Newson Health/Andrew Crowley/PA Photo.

“There is loose evidence that doing some exercise or eating certain foods may improve hot flushes,” Newson says, “but the reason I wanted to do this garden is more about giving people time and space to think and reflect and feel better, so whether they take HRT [hormone replacement therapy for menopause] or not, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about how to improve mental and physical health, have a bit of space, time out, reflection.”

For those who want to create a garden for their own mental and physical wellbeing in menopause, Gwynn and Newson can offer some advice.

Sense of smell can change during menopause, Newson points out, so including scented flowers in the garden can give you heightened awareness.

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Outdoor cooking can be therapeutic. Newson suggests people could also think about growing herbs to create herbal infusions, so they can cut down on caffeine-based drinks which can disrupt sleep – as sleep is often affected by menopause too.

Include raised borders is another idea.

“I have a mixture of beds and borders at different heights so that I’m not weeding at all one level. It’s so satisfying to be able to see the progress you’ve made if you’ve just weeded a patch, and even more satisfying to see how beautiful your garden can be with everything growing,” says Gwynn.

Also, keep landscaping simple, and be creative with containers.

“You can be really inventive with container gardens. You can them make them part of the colour scheme of the garden, but just remember to feed the plants as they are solely reliant on you for their sustenance, both water and food,” Gwynn advises

BBC Gardeners’ World Live runs from June 15-18. Visit bbcgardenersworldlive.com

Related topics:MenopauseBirmingham