Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing 2020

'The wisest book I've read for many years ... Much more than a gardening book, much more than a guide to mental health ... Hugely recommended' - Stephen Fry

How can getting outdoors help us to look after our mental health?

In a powerful combination of contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis and brilliant storytelling, The Well Gardened Mind investigates the magic that many gardeners have known for years - working with nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence.

• Prisoners given the chance to grow plants are less likely to reoffend.
• At-risk young people who get their hands in the soil are more likely to stay in education.
• Elderly people who garden live longer and have a better quality of life.

Sue Stuart-Smith tells brilliant, illuminating stories of people struggling with stress, depression, trauma and addiction, from asylum seekers to veterans, inner-city young people to the retired.

This is a glorious book of science, insight and anecdote that shows how our understanding of nature and its restorative powers is only just beginning to flower.