Everyone that knows us thinks of gardening... our yard is often receiving comments and when we share produce the recipients swear it is the best they've ever tasted. Filling one's pantry and freezer is always a plus, and of course we enjoy all the fresh fruits, nuts and veggies harvests and their incredible flavors packed with nutrients... what is not to love about that?
Gardening, to me, is a therapeutic physical activity that takes me out of the office and the long list of to-do's - and creates this place where I can relax. Gardening is a creative art and- like painting - I am out there playing with colors and textures to create something beautiful. It is also very distracting... you can find yourself stooping to smell the flowers, bring a few crushed leaves to your nose, pause to watch bees and butterflies, listening to the language of the trees and absorbing clean air, that healing sunlight.
It clears the mind and allows creative thought-seeds to be sown, making connections where I did not see a connection before, finding solutions where there were none before, discovering new writing plots, developing characters for my stories.
Gardening creates this meditative space for contemplation, where I renew patience, where I browse nostalgic thoughts, where I clear the cobwebs of the mind. I often get into this zone, sometimes meditative, some time contemplative and I dislike being pulled out of that zone. It is my safe-place, my comfort... my vacation from life stresses.
It creates these moments of joy, of appreciation as we witness the beauty around us.
Gardeners are connecting with the life cycles and because they are nurturing something beyond themselves, caring for something else and this broadens their awareness, sensitivity and compassion.
There are several genres of Therapeutic Horticulture
There are healing gardens that focus on the user's ailments such as growing specific foods and herbs that are known to benefit a specific ailment - and there are those that focus on increasing pleasures which helps gardeners overcome depression.
There are 2 types of what are known as enabling or rehabilitation gardens - there are those that focus on overcoming physical limitations, or those that require a lot of hard labor that help the participants vent and work out their anger or aggression issues. There are those used for reminding the elderly with scents textures flavor or color they were once familiar with helping them battle depression, Alzheimer’s and other mental degeneration issue.
There are restorative gardens, which are often done in group settings, that focus on repairing abused areas, creating a natural environment, a natural habitat for local butterflies and the like. These are really beneficial for those fighting depression, dealing with grief, loneliness and isolation, or the feeling that they have no value on this planet. When we can see that through our efforts the creek has fish in it again, the frogs are singing where their voices have not been heard in years, the birds have returned and knowing you had a part in that can be so very rewarding.
Exposure to natural areas - can help us become more in the present, it can calm the anxious mind and lift the mood. It gives us a sense of accomplishment, of having value. The beauty and activities hold our interest and attention is held and this blocks the constant cycle of negative thoughts.
Statistically, communities laden with gardens and trees and various other types of green spaces have less crime. Children are less obese in these areas too.
Gardens truly strengthen connections with neighbors through the conversations that naturally happen with people walking by. Here, we have noticed over and over again, people stopping to enjoy the experience of witnessing a busy bee, a floppy butterfly dancing on leaves, a happy bird twittering... the leaves turning and swaying in the breeze... the restful shade giving people and their dogs a respite from summer heat or protection from a sudden biting breeze. Children squeal with joy at the sights and the elderly love to stop and chatter, sharing memories and telling us of other amazing gardens they've seen during their walks. Neighbors stop when passing by and reach out to comment or ask questions. For myself, gardening is the one thing my mother and I bonded over - helping heal our relationship before it was too late.
*View the video I created on this topic, with images of our gardens, at:
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