THERE was a heartening story last week, widely reported in the media, about the opening of a new critical-care roof garden on top of King’s College Hospital, in London. Remarkably, patients can now receive all the benefits of life support while enjoying the therapeutic benefits of greenery, fresh air, and natural light. The garden has space for six beds; each patient is linked up to a weatherproof medical cabinet housing exactly the same equipment as would support them on the ward below. A great deal of thought has gone into the garden: aromatic species, such as rosemary, sage, and oregano, were planted alongside tactile plants such as lamb’s ear, to create an environment that encourages active engagement rather than passive observation. This is an ambitious and creative attempt to care for patients holistically. As the clinical director of King’s Critical Care, Dr Tom Best, said: “Research shows that time spent in nature can reduce delirium, improve recovery outcomes, and lift the spirits of patients and their families. It’s important to treat the whole person, and this outdoor critical-care unit helps meet our goal of caring for the mind as well as the body.”

The critical-care team will now be monitoring just how much exposure to fresh air, greenery, and sunlight reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and improves the long-term physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being of these high-dependency patients, their families, and the staff who care for them. It is hoped that time spent in the roof garden may shorten the length of patients’ stays in hospital. We would put money on the wager that this venture confers measurable benefits. The boons of time spent in nature are well established. The practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), for example, was developed in Japan in the 1980s after government-supported scientific studies found that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could reduce blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and improve concentration and memory, and, furthermore, that the phytoncides naturally released by trees had a protective antimicrobial effect and boosted the immune system. Shinrin-yoku is now a national health programme.

The King’s College roof garden is, for now at least, a one-off. Yet there are countless small ways in which people can (and do) make a difference to their communities by fostering green spaces. The annual Love Your Burial Ground Week (6-14 June), a joint initiative of the Church of England, the Church in Wales, Caring for God’s Acre, and A Rocha UK, is a good reminder of the precious gift that our churchyards offer. Last year, there were 400 events tied to the initiative, ranging from nature trails to talks and picnics, all with the intention of encouraging people to visit their burial grounds and explore the wildlife and built features that they find there. Burial grounds are not simply places for the dead: they can be havens for nature, peaceful places for contemplation, and provide life-giving green spaces in built-up areas.