Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Go ahead, dig in the dirt…

Digging in the Dirt

This weekend I repotted a beautiful hydrangea plant that I had received as a gift from my sweetie. It only took me about 20 minutes, but the therapeutic benefits lasted for hours.  The overall feeling of well-being reminded me of how much I love and need to dig in the dirt.

It is believed that nature has healing powers and that gardening (even container gardening) lets us interact with nature. Various studies have been conducted about the link between gardening and better health. Almost all of the studies came up with positive results. It has been suggested that gardening is good for both physical and mental well-being.

Gardening Therapy

Spending time watching the plants grow, the flowers bloom, and even watching the bees collecting nectar seems therapeutic. Gardening is usually a solitary practice and in many ways repetitive, it can easily serve as a form of meditation.  When I’m going through a difficult time — or have a serious problem to work through — there’s nothing like pulling up weeds or pruning back a wayward shrub to help focus the mind.  Another health benefit is the exposure to sunshine (with sunscreen and a hat of course); the sun delivers a boost of vitamin D which helps the body absorb calcium. 

It’s not at all surprising to me that there are Horticultural Therapists who help people overcome physical, social, emotional, as well as cognitive problems through gardening activities. Gardening is accessible to almost everyone and relatively inexpensive. Even if it’s only containers on the window sill of your apartment, it’s still a tiny garden.

Digging in the dirt

For me, gardening is a labor of love and a show of true artistry. Gardening is a deeply sensory experience, and I think it touches something inherent in my spirit. I suspect it was passed down through many generations – the need for nature.
So what are you waiting for?  Go ahead, dig in the dirt and reap the benefits of what you sow.
Cheers!


Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Share this Blog Post :

5 comments:

  1. You are so right! I also have a beautiful hydrangea that is ready to be transplanted outside!

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for visiting my gals who went to the Ball
    Sally Stitch will be honored to have you name
    your gal after her LOL

    Also Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers and I have 5 total

    every time I have company in the summer I have
    to take them out to see my beautiful Blue Belle hydrangea and I have a pink one

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love hydrangeas and I agree...gardening is sooo good for the soul!
    Thanks so much for visiting!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so ready to get outside and start sprucing up my little back flower gardens! I always feel refreshed when I've had some good time working in the yard. Thank you for sharing and thank you for the visit and sweet comment at The Dedicated House. It means the world! Would love it if you would share this post at my Make it Pretty Monday party which is still live. Here's the link if you want to check it out. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/03/make-it-pretty-monday-week-40.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never pass up a picture of a hydrangea. Years ago I read an article about a woman that was fixing up her garden, but in the end she said the garden had "fixed" her. I never forgot that.

    ReplyDelete