Gardening can provide people with a sense of meaning and purpose. “When you’re working with plants, you’re the nurturer,” said Emilee Weaver, the program manager of therapeutic horticulture at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. Jasmine Clarke for The New York Times
This is good reading following my morning routine in recent weeks, now that the rains have returned. Thanks to Dana G. Smith, who reported this story from Plant Hardiness Zone 8a for the New York Times:
Why Gardening Is So Good for You
Digging holes can be a workout and mood booster all rolled into one.
Last Saturday, I was covered in dirt, my back ached, the scream of a trillion cicadas rang in my ears, and, despite my best efforts, a sunburn was developing on the back of my neck.
I was in heaven.
Many gardeners say that when they get their hands in the soil, they feel stress “roll off their shoulders,” said Jill Litt, a professor of environmental health at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ike Edeani for The New York Times
Over the course of the day, I planted my summer haul of annuals (a riot of reds, purples and yellows), transplanted some fall-blooming mums and pulled a Montauk daisy that had grown too big for the space. A neighbor took the daisy off my hands, and in return gifted me some iris and lamb’s ear that he needed to thin out of his yard.
For me, gardening is a workout, meditation and opportunity to socialize with my neighbors all rolled into one. And while I’m admittedly biased, research backs up some of my observations that gardening can have real benefits for your mind and body.
Gardening gets you moving.
Shoveling mulch, pulling weeds and lugging around a watering can all qualify as moderate-intensity physical activities. And gardeners tend to report higher levels of physical activity overall, compared with non-gardeners. Continue reading
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