Beginning the Year with Benefits!
CONTAINED
BRILLIANCE
Welcome to 2021!
The end of each year lends itself to both reflection and anticipation. An exercise my family enjoys is gathering together on New Year’s day and taking time to reflect on what the best moments of the previous year were, and establish new goals for the upcoming year. By going through this exercise, we find ourselves sharing our favorite memories with one another while also having conversations about how best to support each other in reaching our goals as the earth begins its next trip around the sun. It’s always surprising (and a bit amusing) to hear each other’s highlights, thinking about shared experiences we’ve seen through different lenses. And it’s always enlightening to hear what each of us hopes to achieve in the upcoming year.
This year, I want to share one of my goals with you: to launch an online course that will support both new and experienced container gardeners, and journey with them as they find the knowledge and confidence to create. Container gardening has brought me so much joy, and I can’t wait to share those feelings more with you.
Why Container Garden?
So, let’s start with why I think you should take up container gardening, and the benefits thereof. Whether a houseplant or a balcony of potted plants, whether a postage stamp sized front yard or the grounds of a huge estate, gardens are fundamental to our well-being. Gardening lures you outside, where it’s been scientifically proven that being outdoors decreases stress level, heart rate and blood pressure. This is because our bodies crave a connection with nature. Coming in contact with it reduces mental fatigue, and increases relaxation and self-esteem.
Have you ever felt like just looking at flowers and plants makes you feel happier? Most of us feel the benefit of gardening—both emotional and mental—but after years of research and studies, there’s actually scientific evidence that proves this.
Plants boost our immune systems, improve mood, and contribute to nourishing us both physically and emotionally. A study conducted by Harvard University in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital reaffirms that people felt cheerier and more energetic after just looking at plants in the morning, and experienced an increase of energy throughout the remainder of their day.
Dig into Container Gardening and Get a Little Boost of Nature’s Drug
According to ‘Antidepressant Microbes in Soil, How Dirt Makes You Happy”, digging our fingers into the soil offers even more benefits. A microbe present in soil, bacteria m. vaccae, can increase the serotonin level in our bodies when churned up. This serotonin boost has been linked to a more relaxed, happier mood and increased ability to focus. In summary, plants can help you focus on the positive and be mindful of the beauty of nature around us. I distinctly remember walking through my neighborhood after completing my first plant identification course over 20 years ago. It felt as if a whole new world had opened up. I was truly noticing and identifying the beauty that surrounded me for the first time, and it was magical.
“With Every Walk with Nature One Receives Far More Than He Seeds”
– John Muir
Even though gardening has its proven benefits, and is an approachable way of getting in touch with nature, it can seem overwhelming and intimidating to some. This is where container gardening comes in: container gardening allows you to create and nurture on a much smaller scale than taking on a whole garden. It can remove the overwhelm of gardening while still connecting you with nature, giving you the opportunity to work in the soil, cultivate plants and breath fresher air.
In recent news, Dr. Lauriaine Suyin Chalmin-Pui shared how adding container plantings to your front entry or garden can have additional beneficial impacts on health and well-being. Those with planted containers in their front entry were found to have decreased stress levels measured by amounts of cortisol in their system, develop pride of place and have more energy and motivation to take on other home and garden projects ranging from cleaning their windows to starting a vegetable garden. They also generally had less self pity and a more positive uplifting outlook on life. And, by enhancing their front entries with plant material, spending more time out front or looking out front from their window to enjoy the beauty of their plantings, people developed a greater connection with neighbors, community and passersby.
The beauty of container gardening is that you give yourself permission and the time to take on the hobby of gardening in a more manageable way. You get to decide exactly what you want. Do you want edibles, flowers, herbs, screening, wildlife, fragrance? Container gardening gives focus to gardening in a small, detailed way, and helps grow confidence in developing your “green thumb”. Container gardens beautify our surroundings. They soothe and delight us, and provide us a place to wonder and experiment.
Here’s a little secret: both new and experienced gardeners alike become discouraged when they bite off more than they can chew. My hope is that through container gardening, you can take small step-by-step actions, gain confidence, have success, remain motivated, and, eventually, become a gardener for life.
Taking Container Gardening Indoors
Whether it’s due to lesser hours of light, pounding rain or frigid temps, most of us spend a lot more time indoors in the month of January than in any other month. This makes it a great month to focus on houseplants. Houseplants or flowers inside can brighten up a corner in your home even on the darkest of days. They too provide scientific benefits to our well-being. Houseplants clean our indoor air by absorbing toxins, increasing humidity and producing oxygen. And, as I’ve already mentioned, plants have been proven to reduce stress and fatigue while improving mood giving us a more optimistic view of the world.
Houseplants can also be a marvelous gateway into container gardening. Houseplants allow you to focus on single plant plantings, making the experience of caring for plants much less overwhelming. They give you the time to learn about not only the plants themselves, but soil requirements, and the importance of proper watering. (Overwatering or underwatering is the main cause of many a houseplant’s demise.) And, if all of that isn’t enough, houseplants are an easy way to improve the Feng Shui of your living space. Houseplants are a wonderful opening to the world of container gardening and bring instant gratification and beauty to your home—they’re the perfect baby step!!
"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments” – unknown
I hope you'll join me in container gardening this year and discover these benefits of nature yourself!
Resources:
A Hobby for All Seasons: 7 Science-Backed Benefits of Indoor Plants
‘Antidepressant Microbes in Soil, How Dirt Makes You Happy, Bonnie L. Grant, Published Online, Gardening Know How.
Health by Design – University Research Reveals Surprise Solution for Relieving Stress by Erin Lago-Wight 8/22/2018
Looking forward to 2021 RHS, Dr. Lauriane Suyin Chalmin-Pui, Published 1/7/2021
