10 BENEFITS OF GARDENING! | Change your life.
Gardening can be a hobby, but it is so much more than that! The benefits of gardening impact so many aspects of a person’s life; physical and mental health, connection to nature, fresh food availability, improve the environment around you and provides stress relief.
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A GARDEN
We all dream of having the perfect garden for us, our space to dream and be one with nature. A space to share with family, and friends and to get away from the daily stress. Gardening serves so many purposes. Here are a few to consider:
- Beauty and Aesthetics: Garden provides us with a beautiful space to get away and be mindful. Taking the time to understand what you need and plan the right space required is key.
- Mental Health: Gardening reduces stress, helps us not feel overwhelmed, and gives a feeling of well-being. I look forward to what comes next in the garden. Even having my cup of coffee, or planning my day by the firepit, makes the rest of the day so much better. Looking at flowers is life-changing. Check out ‘Ranunculus Garden | GROWING INDOORS’.
- Exercise: If you are looking to get some exercise, plant the garden to match the level of what you are willing to take care of. Maybe you want to just enjoy the garden with perennials from your beautiful seating area, or want a place to meditate among the butterflies. The space needs to meet your needs, it is all in the details.
- Community building: The gardening community is like no other. You don’t have to grow incredible flowers, or raise chicken or quails. Having a space that works for you is what everyone shares to help each other.
- Environmental benefits: Creating a garden makes a big impact to the environment, supports wildlife and improves air and soil health.
- Food Production: You will never want for another vegetable from the supermarket. the amount you can grow in a small area is incredible and the taste and variety is like no other.
WHAT ARE SOME BENEFITS OF GARDENING
For me the main benefit of gardening is mental health, it has changed everything about my daily life and purpose. You can learn more about this in my post ‘GARDENING WITH PURPOSE | Gardening Changed my Life!’.
- Provides a sense of accomplishment
- Improves your mood.
- Gives you a sense of purpose and calms you.
- Forces you to be outside enjoying nature.
- Connects you to wildlife and brings up curiosity.
- Brings the family together.
- Creates curiosity to try new foods by growing things you can’t find in the supermarket.
- Educates you on what grows in other zones and countries.
- Sense of community if you grow flowers, plants, foods, create a small homestead by raising animals or love designing the outdoor space.
- Surrounds you with beauty!
One added bonus is how color enhances our day. Ready my blog post ‘COLOR IN THE GARDEN | It Will Boost Your Mood’.
STEPS TO DESIGN A GARDEN FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Find Your Purpose
- DETERMINE YOUR PURPOSE: Don’t just start designing the garden without understanding your life journey and what brought you to the specific needs. Examining my life’s story helped me understand that I was going to eventually add animals to my garden and transition to a small homestead.
- LOCATION: Choose the right location for the specific use; seating area vs. growing flowers or food. You may also want to consider sun and shade when adding seating areas and how your climate is in your area. It is cold where I live and the sun is a gift, so having a seating area where it will get sun all day long was key.
Plan & Design Mindfully
- COLORS: Choose calming colors if you are looking for a relaxing and cozy feel. Or you may want bright colors if you are looking to get happy and stimulated. A soft palette worked best for me, but in my secret garden, I wanted to do mostly blue tones with some whites. A space totally different that was a hidden surprise and unexpected. Have you read my post ‘9 DECORATING INSPIRATION taken from Details in Nature.
- PLAN BEFORE YOU BUILD: What are your most important activities? Growing vegetables, flowers, and a fire pit, consider pathways as an important element to transition from space to space and create experiences, not just spaces.
- INCORPORATE MINDFULNESS: Incorporating elements such as a meditation area or a calming labyrinth. The small details will encourage you to take the time for wellness, to stop, and be mindful. For me. my pond is designed to sit and reflect, but it is also near my quails, they can hear the sound and feel safe, and their happiness is my happiness.
Get to know me! You can take a look at ‘More About Me!‘ and get to know me.
This Two Things are Key when Designing Your Garden!
- MAINTENANCE: Consider what it will take to maintain what you have built, weeding, pruning, and cleaning so that the garden stays looking its best. You want a memorable space that calls you back and not one that scares you or creates stress.
- DO YOU! Yes, do you and not what others are doing. Each of us needs something different that works for us. A very close friend of mine told me once ‘ I WANT TO GO FROM GREEN TO RAINBOWS’. I loved that statement because everyone’s rainbow is unique to them!
SHOP BELOW TO PROVIDE STYLE TO YOUR GARDEN!
Do you want to get going with creating your garden? Check out Learn more on “Gardening for Beginners | You Must Know this First!’. You can also take a look at ‘More About Me!‘ and get to know me.
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So many benefits, I think mental health might be the biggest factor for me. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Rachel! It is such a big factor, that moment when you are gardening takes you to another world and brings so much peace.
Gardening is such a stress reliever for me. Really exciting that you’ve started the gardening program. You will surely help so many people find happiness!
My absolute dream will be achieve the day I can help hundred of people learn how to design and utilize the garden experience for healing. Thank you Marie!
Great post, Melba!
Thank you so much Leslie!
Melba, this is such a beautiful post! So many people think of gardening as a chore but don’t realize all of the benefits it can bring to them! Thanks for sharing your lovely thoughts and pictures!
Thank you Donna! I am living proof of how much the garden can offer you in wellness. It is truly life changing.
Melba, I am so excited for you! I love watching your dream come true!
Thank you so much sweet Elizabeth! I hope to inspire others to create their dream garden.
Melba, I am in love with your garden and the magical place you transformed it into. Your blog is gorgeous as well. So excited for all the good that will come from it.
Thank you so much Maria! The garden is so magical that you can’t help but always feel inspired. I can’t wait for spring, but the seeds are keeping me going for now.
Melba you are so right!!! I love gardening and for this reason! I could be having the most stressful day but once I get outside and get my hands in the dirt and see the products of my labor, it turns my day right around! I’d love to invite you to come share some of your posts at my weekly link party! Hope you will join us! <3 https://www.ourtinynest.com/2023/02/15/weekly-link-party-335/
Thank you so much Nicole! Gardening is makes us stop and develop such a deep connection that can change so much for the better. I need to share this with as many people that I can and can benefit.
I couldn’t agree with you more about the many benefits of growing a garden, Melba. This was a beautifully written post with exceptional pictures. Love this.
Thank you so much, Kim, very kind of you. One day I hope everyone gardens, it will make us all better.