ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the psychological value of gardening as a process of personalisation. It explores how personality or identity might relate to people's engagement with gardening. The chapter looks at what the concepts of place attachment and place identity add to our understanding of gardening. Environmental psychologists have suggested that the differences in garden styles might reflect different psychological needs. They have compared garden styles and aspects of personality, in particular, people's need for structure. In psychological terms, the experience of gardening and gardeners is more about identity than personality. Gardening involves finding ways to express personal preferences and meet psychological needs. Place attachment is described as a positive, dynamic bond between humans and a social/physical setting that provides psychological benefits. Factors that contribute to a sense of place and place attachment include place identity and place dependence as well as nature bonding, social, family and friend bonding related to place.
