The ‘Home Garden Helpline’ is suitable for experienced horticulturalists as well as anyone interested in taking on gardening as a new hobby.

The Qur’anic Botanic Garden(QBG)- a member of Qatar Foundation has launched a free-of-charge ‘Home Garden Helpline’ service, which enables any member of the public, locally or internationally based, to pose home gardening questions directly to QBG’s experts by calling +974 3091 8519 every Monday from 9am to 12.30pm, and every Wednesday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.

The QBG ‘Home Garden Helpline’ is suitable for seasoned horticulturalists with experience in the field, as well as anyone interested in taking on gardening as a new hobby. To date, the service has generated a significant amount of interest among audiences in Qatar and the region and helped many kick-start their own home gardens, as well as improve the quality and quantity of their yield. In addition to the positive impact that home gardening has on the environment and the contribution it makes to food security, it also has a positive effect on mental wellbeing.

Dr. Mamoun Mobayed, consultant psychiatrist and director of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Department, Behavioural Healthcare Center in Qatar, and a speaker at QBG’s recently held webinar ‘Home Farming in Qatar: A Lifestyle for Our Daily Needs’, said: “Home gardening is an essential factor in helping overcome certain psychological issues. 

It makes people feel hopeful and optimistic and the life cycle of the plant itself elicits a person’s meditative and reflective side. This brings forth feelings of gratitude, optimism and creativity, and boosts the production of hormones associated with happiness. In addition, gardening enhances mental and physical relaxation, increases patience and improves both sleep and breathing, due to being in an open-air environment.”

Maha Al Kuwari, one of the beneficiaries of the telephone line service, said: “From my point of view, the idea is excellent, as it contributes to raising awareness before any problem or injury occurs to the plant. It also contributes to reducing agricultural costs by providing pre-purchase counselling, and finally increases the demand for agriculture, with the public being aware that there are entities keen on teaching agriculture, even from a distance, with a hotline.”

Fatima Al Khulaifi, director, QBG, said: “It is delightful to see the public’s positive responses and high interest in this service, since it was launched. The QBG ‘Home Garden Helpline’ service aims to support the Environmental Development pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030 and protect global ecosystems by enabling the community to be active contributors to the sustainable development of the planet. Everything we do at QBG is about serving the country and the community. In line with this, over the month of September, we will host ‘Fun and Learn’ programme, which will teach primary school students in Qatar about plant life and the environment.”

More information can be found on its social media channels: Instagram: Quranic_Botanic_Garden; Facebook: Qur’anic Botanic Garden; and Twitter: @QuranicGarden.