When I began gardening more than 40 years ago it was because my Daddy told me to. My sisters and I helped plant, weed, nurture, and harvest a garden that yielded corn, beans, tomatoes, and okra. That garden provided a lot of food for our family of six.
Years later my sister Angela helped me landscape around the house where my husband and I lived in Shelbyville, Tennessee. I was already in to container gardening but those were my first attempts at creating and designing flower beds.
It was the beginning of a life long love affair with flower gardening. Today, I have about 45 large containers filled with both annuals and perennials and I’ve put in at least four good-sized flower beds. Inside our home, I have a large baker’s rack filled with plants and others including a Norfolk pine, ficus tree, and schefflera are scattered throughout in most every room.
When I worked in an office, I looked forward to Friday’s knowing that I could spend all weekend outdoors tending to my flowers. It was an escape to my “Happy Place.” There I could forget about the problems of the world, the stress of my job, and focus on the beauty surrounding me. I’ve always felt I am one of God’s caretakers and I relish the role.
My career path changed in the fall of 2019 and I began to work from home. Writing was the focus of this new venture and as you may have guessed by now, most of that was accomplished outside on my patio table.
As the spring of 2020 came round, I was excited about the plans I had made in my gardening journal to plant reliable favorites and experiment with new varieties. About that time, the coronavirus was on the rise and the lockdown mode began. Thankfully garden centers and nurseries were considered essential and shopping outdoors made me feel safe. By the time I made that first foray outside of my home space it was late April, several weeks later than I normally begin plant shopping. As I was leaving the garden center heading home with my treasures, I didn’t know whether to cry happy tears or just have a good cry that something in my life felt “normal” again.
The experience was a little surreal, dealing with a novel coronavirus that, even months later, we continue to learn more about. It has certainly changed the way we shop for groceries, go to school, and the schedule of public venues.
Once again my flower garden turned out to be a 
sanctuary where I could lose myself in the beauty of nature. I could tend my flowers, listen to the birds chirp, and watch the butterflies and bees flit around from flower to flower without a care in the world.
Many of us, whether newbies or old hands, have turned to gardening in the past few months. Gardening centers and nurseries have experienced skyrocketing sales and for good reason. Green thumb therapy is good for the mind!
Here are some facts about gardening and the positive benefits for your mental, emotional, and physical health.
1. Gardening can reduce your stress levels
According to a study published in the Mental Health Review Journal, getting engaged in various gardening activities reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
2. It puts you in control
Nothing in the world is in our control, but what we do in our gardens can be. Having control and certainty about something always puts us in a better state of mind. So, go on and arrange your pots and plants just the way you like them.
3. The soil has antidepressant properties
If you are worried about ruining your manicure while gardening, then don’t be. Because pathogens found in the soil act can actually work as antidepressants and uplift your mood. A bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae in soil can trigger the release of serotonin aka the happy hormone.
4. It gives us a sense of responsibility and purpose
When you take care of plants and watch them grow, you observe a transformation. You gain an understanding of their transformation from sapling to a plant which is one way to gain a sense of self-worth regardless of social pressure.
5. Gardening is also a great way to exercise
Gardening is a whole-body workout that includes elements of walking, stretching, and weight lifting. You can burn up to 300 calories in an hour by doing just basic gardening work like lifting pots and digging soil. Any type of workout releases endorphins in the body which relieve stress and makes us happy.
6. Spending more time in nature helps our body relax
Being surrounded by plants helps lower blood pressure, increases higher pain tolerance, reduces anxiety, and relieves fatigue. Not to mention that looking at plants and flowers is a peaceful activity free of worries or conflict. Greenery helps create a soothing environment and encourages living in the present moment and engages the senses.
7. Don’t have the space for a proper garden?
Fret not! Try your hands at indoor gardening. Planting indoor plants in your room can add positivity to your place and improve the air quality. You can start with easy-to-tend plants like snake plant, aloe vera, spider plant, cactus, peace lily, and ferns.
