A few years ago, I wrote a piece for The Sunday Times about how my front garden helped cheer up the neighbourhood after the fi nancial crash. Passers-by smiled, some took photos; if I was out there, people would stop for a chat. My front garden turned strangers into friends; one lady even changed her route to work just so she could walk past. She said it cheered her up. Others in the street planted their front gardens in a similar way.
One neighbour knocked on my door one summer evening and sheepishly said: ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, but I just wanted to say how lovely your front garden is and how much I enjoy seeing it’. I’d never spoken to her before. She was a widow and lived alone. My front garden helped alleviate her loneliness; we’re still friends to this day.
If my front garden was able to cheer up my neighbourhood – imagine what hundreds or thousands of them across the country could achieve? If ever there was a time when our nation needs to heal, it’s now.
A front garden is one of the few situations in Britain where we feel comfortable chatting to strangers – and that’s where their power lies. If we all made a small effort, imagine the positive impact it could have on society. So why not give it a go… what have you got to lose?
Nick is an award-winning gardening journalist. His work appears in The Sunday Times, The Guardian and RHS magazine. He is a garden expert for BBC Radio Leicester.
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