GROW study at Highgrove Gardens

Rach Colling on June 29, 2026

Co-design

GROW study at Highgrove Gardens

Guided walks and restorative experiences at Highgrove for emotional well-being through nature connection and stress reduction 

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that contact with nature contributes meaningfully to human health and well-being. Exposure to green spaces has been linked to reductions in stress, improvements in mood and cognitive function, and lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mental ill-health. While the broad relationship between nature and health is increasingly well established, significant gaps remain in our understanding of how different types of natural and designed environments support well-being in different ways. 

Heritage gardens such as Highgrove are a valuable setting for research as they contain a diversity of carefully designed spaces within a single site. The GROW study is a pilot, examining how different garden environments are associated with reductions in perceived stress, improvements in emotional well-being and increased nature connectedness.

Partners: Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, The King’s Foundation, Highgrove Gardens, University of Exeter, Intelligent Health 

About the study

The GROW study is designed to generate empirical evidence on the relationship between specific garden environments and measurable well-being outcomes.

The findings will contribute to understanding how garden environments can support human health and well-being and help inform future nature-based research and initiatives. It has two core aims:

  • Impact measurement: assessing changes in perceived stress, emotional well-being, nature connectedness, and perceived restorativeness across distinct garden environments or ‘rooms’.
  • Feasibility testing: evaluating recruitment rates, retention, acceptability, and effect sizes to inform a larger-scale study.

Seven garden ‘rooms’ serve as distinct environments, each mapped to a Perceived Sensory Dimension. Approximately 45 adults will attend three 90-minute guided walks over 8 weeks. They will complete restorativeness assessments in the garden rooms, as well as giving pre- and post-walk ratings.

Significance for future research

  • Strengthening the scientific evidence base
    Demonstrating that structured garden walks produce consistent, measurable well-being outcomes would strengthen the evidence base for nature-based health interventions and support the case for prescriptive green-space programmes within public health frameworks.
  • Informing future therapeutic landscape design
    The garden-room comparison will provide data linking Perceived Sensory Dimensions to restorative outcomes in a heritage garden setting, informing both therapeutic landscape design and the targeting of future interventions to specific environmental typologies.
  • Guiding further research
    As a feasibility pilot, the study’s recruitment, retention, and effect-size data will identify what is needed to power a fully controlled trial. The findings will also contribute to the CBA’s broader knowledge agenda on the health co-benefits of regenerative landscapes. 

Photos: Ian Jones Photography