Wild, untidy gardens better for mental health, designer claims at Chelsea Flower Show

Messy, wild-looking gardens are better for mental health than pristine pruning, an exhibitor at Chelsea Flower Show has claimed.

Matt Keightley, who designed the RHS Feel Good Garden, said that for mental health, gardens should be natural and untidy, and that perfect geometric shapes can be stressful.

He told the BBC’s Jeremy Vine Show: "It's a planting that has quite organic and quite natural form. And the idea behind that is rather than geometry and straight lines - you don't want people to feel forced through the garden, they need to feel compelled to move into it and meander round it at their own pace, and feel at complete ease when they move through the garden.”