‘I want to highlight the powerful, uplifting energy that nature can provide’
Like so many of us I am drawn to spaces that feel naturally wild, environments that give a sense of being reclaimed by nature – they hold something powerful and energising that calls to so many of us. I’ve been reading about the Japanese practice of forest bathing, shinrin-yoku, a process of relaxation that invites you to be calm and quiet among trees, to observe nature around you while breathing deeply; it’s said to boost general health and wellbeing and help us destress. While time spent immersed in nature is undoubtedly good for us, it strikes me that it can also be beneficial to nature too. If we are able to reconnect with nature and form a relationship with the natural spaces around us, we’ll be more likely to care for them and protect them.
Before my role as head of horticulture at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill in south London, I was senior gardener for the
