Gardening is a popular bank holiday pastime, but one Montrose man is calling on enthusiasts to embrace their hobby as nature intended this weekend.
Quite literally.
It might not be a fixture in everyone’s calendar, but believe it or not today is World Naked Gardening Day and David Pullar is encouraging everyone to tend to their gardens au naturel to mark the occasion.
The dangers of stinging nettles or secateur-related mishaps aside, David is certainly getting into the spirit of things and reckons gardening in the buff can bolster people’s self-esteem and help them accept their bodies the way they are.
And while the 27-year-old freely admits that any 1970s-style romantic vision of baring all amongst the flora can be difficult to achieve in Scotland’s built-up towns and cities, there are still plenty of opportunities for local people to mark World Naked Gardening Day without causing offence or embarrassment.
“This day is big in other parts of the country and other parts of the world, and I just think it’s a great way to feel at one with the natural world in a safe, fun and friendly way,” David said.
“Whether outside in public or the privacy of your own garden or even inside the home tending to house plants, naked gardening is something you can have great enjoyment doing.
“I’m a professional horticulturalist so much of my work is in clients’ gardens, although it’s obviously not right to go gardening in the nude there.
“It’s not something most people could do openly, but it’s not just about doing it outside it’s about doing it inside as well.
“I used to work in a walled garden and often worked barefoot because it was about feeling connected to the earth.
“I’m very much into therapeutic gardening and the holistic approach of using plants to heal, so World Naked Gardening Day is about enjoying plants, open spaces and nature as nature intended.
“I’m not sure how many people will be up for doing it but it’s just about doing something a bit different.”
Experts have suggested that naked gardening can have positive effects psychologically and can also up a person’s vitamin D levels, although the practice also brings with it the risk of rashes, sunburn, potential accidents and, of course, falling foul of the law.
Nevertheless, David believes most people would find gardening unclothed a liberating experience.
“My family and friends all think it’s a bit of fun,” he added.
“When children are running around they don’t want to be dressed because they feel comfortable in their own skin, but when you reach a certain age people have to look a certain way to fit in.
“At the end of the day we’re all human and we’re all the same underneath our clothes.”