If your GP has ever mentioned “social prescribing,” you’ve already brushed up against a quietly transformative idea in the NHS: connecting people to non-medical activities, such as gardening, that can improve health and wellbeing. In recent years, “green social prescribing” has been piloted across England, with people being referred to nature-based activities, from community gardening projects to conservation volunteering, with encouraging results.
What is “green social prescribing” – and does it work?
Social prescribing routes you (via your GP or another healthcare professional) to a link worker who helps you create a plan around “what matters to me?” and connects you with local activities. When those activities involve nature, such as gardening, tree planting, nature walks, wild swimming – that’s green social prescribing. An early national pilot in England, from April 2021 to March 2023, referred over 8,500 people, with 85% taking up the offer of green social prescriptions.
Independent researchers who evaluated the programme found that, after accessing nature-based activities, participants’ wellbeing improved, with feelings of happiness and that life was worthwhile improving significantly. Participants’ levels of anxiety also fell in line with the national average. Furthermore, results showed that the cost of a green social prescription was relatively low at around £500 per participant, compared with other mental health treatments.
In Scotland, a healthcare initiative to include “nature prescriptions” has also been rolled out as part of a partnership with RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and NHS Scotland, with activities including visiting parks and green spaces, birdwatching, and listening to seabirds.
Why might a doctor “prescribe” gardening for health?
A doctor might prescribe gardening because gardening offers many health benefits:
- Mental health: Regular time with plants and soil is linked to reduced anxiety and stress levels, and to better mood and sleep.
- Physical activity: Light-to-moderate movement (digging, lifting, walking) adds up without the gym, often increasing daily step counts in “nature prescription” studies.
- Social connection and purpose: Community gardens create low-pressure social contact and a sense of contribution – powerful buffers against loneliness.
- A prevention mindset: The NHS is investing in personalised care because non-medical drivers, such as housing, debt, isolation, and inactivity, shape our health. Gardening addresses several at once.
Even the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) highlights a growing body of science on gardening and wellbeing, including research on
which houseplants best support mood and concentration – handy if you’re starting indoors.
It is worth noting: Not every study is glowing, and critics sometimes question whether social prescribing is the best use of resources. But the most recent government-backed evaluation of green social prescribing in England found statistically significant mental health gains and good value for money – evidence that’s hard to ignore.
Where to garden if you don’t have a garden
You don’t need your own plot to get the benefits of gardening. Try one or several of these:
1. Apply for an allotment – and what to do if there’s a wait
- How to apply: You apply through your local council; many areas operate waiting lists.
- About the wait: Demand surged in recent years, so waits can be long in some areas. Don’t be put off – add your name and explore the ideas below while you wait.
- Know your rights: The National Allotment Society explains the laws that govern allotments and the duties of councils.
2. Join a community garden
- Find one near you: The Good to Grow map shows community gardens (and who’s taking volunteers). Social Farms and Gardens also lists projects and offers advice.
- What to expect: Community gardens blend food growing, wildlife areas, and social space. London’s network of city farms is a good example of how these sites support health, learning, and inclusion.
3. Get involved with Britain in Bloom or an RHS community group
- Britain in Bloom mobilises tens of thousands of volunteers to green streets and spaces. Use the RHS map to find a local group or RHS-affiliated society.
4. Ask about green activities through your GP
- Your GP practice may already refer to green social prescribing activities – conservation volunteering, guided walks, or garden projects via a link worker. Just ask at reception about social prescribing or the link worker.
Tip: If mobility, transport or childcare are barriers, tell the link worker. Their whole job is to help you make it doable.
Indoor gardening ideas – perfect for flats, shared houses and busy lives
No balcony? No problem. Start small, keep it enjoyable, and let the wins stack up.
1. Windowsill herbs
Start with basil, mint, chives, or parsley. Use a bright sill, water little and often, and rotate pots weekly so the herbs don’t start to lean. Snip regularly to keep plants bushy.
2. Leafy microgreens
Sow radish, coriander, purple basil, pea shoots, broccoli, or wasabi mustard thickly in shallow trays, and harvest with scissors when the first true leaves appear.
3. Houseplants for mood and focus
Choose forgiving stars like pothos (Epipremnum), snake plant (Sansevieria), spider plant (Chlorophytum), or ZZ plant (Zamioculcas). Evidence around indoor plants and wellbeing is building, and the RHS has collated emerging research on which plants people find most supportive.
4. Salad bowls under LEDs
A simple clip-on grow light over a 30–40cm trough lets you harvest cut-and-come-again leaves, such as mizuna, lettuce and rocket, year-round. Water from below to reduce fungus gnats.
5. “Kitchen scrap” regrowth
Regrow spring onions and lettuce stumps in a jar of water, then pot up. Great for kids, limited budgets, and quick wins.
6. Mini-composting
A Bokashi bin or wormery turns peelings into plant food. Use the liquid feed (diluted) on houseplants.
A simple “start this month” plan
Week 1: Ask your GP practice about social prescribing; if available, request a chat with the link worker. In parallel, join a Britain in Bloom or community garden group near you.
Week 2: Plant two herbs on the windowsill and one easy houseplant. Keep a daily mini mood/energy log.
Week 3: Try a community volunteering session (one hour counts!). Set up a tray of microgreens for quick wins.
Week 4: Apply for an allotment (or micro-plot where offered), and schedule one green activity into your week ahead.
Useful links to get you started
The growing truth: Gardening isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a proven, low-risk, good-value way to boost mental health, move your body, meet people, and eat a little fresher. Whether you’re growing basil on a windowsill or joining a volunteer session at a city farm, there’s a version to suit your life – and your GP team can help you find it.