Gardening provides exercise opportunities

Since exercise is an integral part of healthy living, sector commentator Bunny Guinness has outlined a number of ways in which horticulturalists can combine a work out with their favourite pastime.

Ms Guinness notes that gardening makes the human body carry out a range of movements, from lifting and digging to bending and lifting.

"Gardening is fabulous exercise providing that you do it correctly. You can maintain a good level of fitness this way and burn significant numbers of calories," she tells the online pages of the Telegraph.

Ms Guinness suggests that horticulturalists avoid taking "short cuts" such as sitting on ride-on lawnmowers or using leaf-blowers and other labour-saving devices and instead work on building up their strength, speed and stamina.

People planning to use gardening as part of their fitness routine may also be interest to learn that the Sun suggests that the pastime is a moderate activity that will burn around 460 calories per hour.