Gardening to support ADHD

Gardens and plants are not judgmental. They are happy for you to simply be yourself around them.

Gardening activities also create a way to channel both physical and mental energy, allowing you to be happily absorbed in the moment.

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the wellbeing effects of gardens and nature:

• A report from Mental Health Foundation into how connecting with nature benefits mental health found that 70% of UK adults agreed that being close to nature improves their mood
• An evaluation of the Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing Project in 2024 showed that people with mental health needs who accessed nature-based activities showed statistically significant improvements in wellbeing, such as happiness and life satisfaction
• In a YouGov survey for HTA in 2024, 85% of British adults agreed that gardens benefit their state of mind

Gardens provide endless opportunities for learning and discovery. That could be through finding out about new plants and how they grow through the seasons, noticing what attracts different species of wildlife or learning ways to keep plants at their best.

These are some aspects you might like to think about.

Time to maintain

Different garden styles need to be looked after more or less often. Think about how frequently you are likely to be able to look after your garden when planning the space and what you grow.

If you would like a lower-maintenance garden, you could design it so it’s easier to manage.

You may enjoy gardening in raised beds or using pots and containers, as these offer a clearly defined area to work in. However, they will need watering more often compared to beds and borders. An option requiring less frequent care would be to grow slow-growing plants in the ground, with a layer of wood chip over the soil to reduce the need for watering and weeding.

If you have beds in the ground, you could keep them reasonably small (1 metre or less in width) to easily work across them.

Room to roam

If you would like your garden to be a place where you can release energy, you can incorporate this, no matter the size of your space.

If you have a larger garden, lawns provide a good area to stroll across, along with the opportunity for energetic activities like mowing and raking up leaves.

Winding pathways can create enjoyable ways to wander, whether that’s via flat paths, stepping stones, or gravel trails to crunch over.

For younger people (or adventurous adults), large trees can create the opportunity for climbing or even be a space to hang a swing from.

Balancing styles

Sometimes, descriptions of gardens can put them into boxes: ‘neat or wild’, ‘colourful or soothing’, ‘food or flowers’. You may feel you don’t want your garden to be one thing and would like to incorporate different elements.

If it suits you, the garden could be designed with a flow of different areas, so you can experience it in different ways depending on your mood – somewhere quiet and calm, with seating to rest in, then somewhere more free-flowing, where plants don’t need to be kept neatly.

Sensory quality

All gardens appeal to the senses in some ways. A garden space can be specifically designed to have greater sensory appeal. This can have different outcomes – for example, making the garden more stimulating or calming.

To create a calming quality, you could include plants in softer shades, have curved lines, include a small, still pond and only prune loosely.

To create a stimulating quality, you could include plants in vibrant shades, have straight lines, prune plants tightly and have an energetically flowing water feature.

Read more in our guide to planning a sensory garden.

Preferred activities

Think about what you like to do most often in your garden and make sure your space suits it.

If you plan to sow lots of seeds into pots, for example, you may want to have a potting table or similar where you can work either standing or seated.

There might be high-frequency activities that you’d like to do regularly. If you enjoy deadheading, for example, you may want to grow flowers like sweet peas, roses and dahlias that need deadheading often.

Also think about what you don’t want to have to do frequently. If you want to avoid regular watering, you could grow low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants like salvia and sedum. Or, you could set up an automatic irrigation system.

Social vs solitary

A garden can be a place to connect with others, or it can be a place to enjoy peacefully on your own.

If you like the social aspect of the garden, you could include seating areas that allow people to gather together – a sofa zone, or a table with several chairs, for example. Lawns can also provide the opportunity for social interaction through garden games.

If you sometimes prefer to have time alone, you could include smaller seating options, like individual chairs or a small bench, so you can sit and peacefully reflect. Covered areas, such as pergolas, can also help the feeling of seclusion.

If you find having limited options helps you focus, pick one thing to do. Think about the time you have available and what you might be able to achieve. For example, you may not be able to weed a whole border, but you could focus on just one section and enjoy doing as much on that as possible.

Don’t worry too much about the need to ‘complete’ activities. You can always continue another day.

If you do want to keep focused, you may find it better to garden without your phone / other tech nearby. Alternatively, listening to music or podcasts while you garden might be helpful. The manual nature of gardening can work well with listening to the words of the podcast, particularly if you tend to do dual tasks to focus.

A place for everything

It can be easy to forget where you’ve put things, especially smaller items like tools. Some people find having a routine of always putting things back in the same place can be helpful, and some people find tools with bright-coloured handles.

When you are doing an activity, have everything you need accessible and close by. Equipment such as a tool belt, trug, or gardening trolley can help keep everything you need in one place.

Be flexible on correct process

If you read gardening guides or magazines, there will often be clear instructions on how to do something. This can be very helpful if you like to follow exact steps.

Gardening is also quite forgiving, so don’t worry if you do things a bit differently. For example, if you are growing carrots, it’s good to have them a certain depth and space apart. But if you’ve sown them in a wonky line instead of a straight line, it really doesn’t matter.

Enjoy doing things your way, and don’t worry too much about what you think you should be doing.

Clear labels

Plant labels are fantastic for reminding you what you’ve planted, where and when.

There are lots of ways to label plants. Some examples include purpose-made plant labels, writing on lollipop sticks, painting large stones with the plant’s name or attaching finished seed packets to sticks.

Breaks

It can be very easy to get carried away while gardening and forget how long you’ve been doing an activity! This may be even more true if you are in a hyper-focused state.

Losing yourself in gardening can be pleasurable. But it’s a good idea to take regular breaks to avoid muscle strain or dehydration. You may like to set an alarm as a reminder to have some water and a rest.

Another option if you’re likely to get lost in hyperfocus is to prepare yourself for this happening. Keep a bottle of water with you and, on sunny days, apply long-lasting sunscreen before you start gardening.

Accept when things go wrong

Sometimes, the plants we nurture will grow beautifully and other times they won’t. It could be weather, pests or just pot luck.

Part of gardening is accepting you can’t control everything. Things won’t always turn out like you hope and that’s ok. You can just try again or try something different another time.

Trouble getting started?

Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting started.

These are some tips:

• Do what you can, no matter how small. Sometimes, just stepping outside for a few minutes is enough
• Make it easier to get going. For example, if you are feeding birds, keep bird food close to the door to the garden
• Consider working together with a friend, family member or neighbour who could help give some encouragement
• Celebrate achievements. Congratulate yourself when you’ve spent time doing an activity
• If you don’t feel like going out, you could read a gardening magazine or watch a gardening programme for some inspiration

Time in nature

You don’t have to do gardening activities to get the benefits of nature. Spending some time in the natural world may be what you need to feel good. All of these activities offer the opportunity to get into nature:

• Take a walk. You could go to a park or public garden. Try and appreciate nature using all your senses
• Do things outside that you would usually do inside – have food or a drink, do some exercise, or talk with friends
• Practice mindfulness in the garden. Sit quietly, even for just a few minutes, and listen to everything around you
• Hang the washing outside
• Fill bird feeders, then wait and observe any visiting birds

We all have days where we’re not in the mood for doing much and that’s ok too. The garden and nature will wait patiently and still be there whenever you feel like it.