People with a large and green garden are healthier. This is the conclusion of a study, the results of which were presented on Wednesday. Yet many people opt for a garden that is full of tiles from front to back. “But we are just healthy,” say Guus and Til van Tetering from Tilburg.
The research was carried out by environmental researchers from the University of Wageningen and health researchers from the NIVEL institute.
They linked information from aerial photographs to anonymous GP files. This shows that a garden of more than 50 square meters is good for your health. The residents suffer less from heart disease, stroke and cerebral haemorrhage.
“Our grandchildren can play in our backyard.”
But such a piece of land is quite a lot of work. Guus and Til live in the middle of Broekhoven in Tilburg. Their garden is full of tiles. “At first we had pebbles, but a lot of grass and moss grew on them. We often spent days on it, because that was not so nice. The moss also became slippery and that was quite dangerous.”
“We have four grandchildren. I think it’s too dangerous on the street and because of the tiles they can play in our backyard. The eldest can cycle around here. That’s enjoyment. We often take them to the petting zoo or the woods. This is how we stay healthy.”
Frans Blakenburg lives around the corner. He enjoys the sun on a bench in his stone front garden. “As long as we have lived here, we have only had tiles. It is handy in the front garden, because then you can park the car. In the backyard I can set up the swimming pool in the summer.”
“We’re not gardeners, because we don’t really care about that,” says Frans with a laugh. “I’ve been trying to put plants in the garden for years, but I never get around to it. I’m not completely healthy, but that has nothing to do with the garden. For green, go to the woods.”
“Our roof terrace is small, so there is little maintenance.”
Jan Glorius and Ton van Leest have perhaps the smallest and greenest garden in Broekhoven. “The garden is not big, but we are close to the center. We laid out the garden thirty years ago and we are still very happy with it.”
The men like to sit on the roof terrace. “It’s small, so there’s little maintenance. This leaves us with enough time and energy to do other fun things, such as walking and a glass of wine on the roof terrace. That is healthier than when you have to hoe a lot.”
