Episode 126: The Psychology of Gardening with Professor Harriet Gross

This week I’m speaking to Harriet Gross, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Lincoln. She was part of a team that won a gold medal for the Digital Capabilities garden at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show and she is the author of The Psychology of Gardening. Harriet talks about our emotional connection to our gardens, what makes people connected to nature and the environment, why we can be territorial over our gardens and just what it is we get from gardening.

Dr Ian Bedford’s Bug of the Week: Stridulation

This episode is sponsored by the London College of Garden Design Melbourne.

Based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne the college brings together unique Australian design and horticultural expertise with the training experience of Europe’s leading garden design college. The College delivers professional skills training for those aiming for a career in landscape design and from 2021 will offer a real-time online option for those who want to study from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand. To find out more visit lcgd.com.au

What we talk about:

• What led Harriet to write the book
• Is the amount of research conducted into the psychology of gardening commensurate with its popularity in the UK?
• People who are more connected to natured and concerned with the environment and their personality type
• Personality traits that are generally common to gardeners
• Why people become so emotionally attached to their gardens
• Taking refuge in our gardens during the pandemic
• Emotional attachment to allotments
• Fractals and their significance in landscapes and to our appreciation of these landscapes

About Professor Harriet Gross

Harriet Gross is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at University of Lincoln. She was part of a team that won a gold medal for the Digital Capabilities garden at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show and she is the author of The Psychology of Gardening. 

Harriet Gross on Twitter @Harriet_Gross 

Links

The Psychology of Gardening by Harriet Gross - Routledge, 2018