From Yard to Sanctuary: Embrace the Well-Being Benefits of Gardening More and more homeowners are discovering the many benefits of gardening. We are recognizing nature’s ability to increase feelings of well-being, and the calming effects time in the garden can bring. This realization is translating into garden design, creating a trend NGB Member Monrovia calls Upscale Relaxation. “Focusing on personal health is now a status symbol,” says Katie Tamony, chief marketing officer and trend spotter for Monrovia. “We are all looking to create a relaxing, private oasis where we can shut out the c ..read more

When I began writing my blog in 2017, the reader I had in mind was the senior gardener who was rethinking their gardening future in view of health challenges. That decision was based on an article I had read in a recent landscaping trade magazine suggesting that landscape professionals learn about the special needs facing their aging customers. Nursing a bad knee and teetering on the cusp of 80 also influenced me. Initial posts were, essentially, based on personal experience. As time went on, more included research, other peoples’ experiences and just talking with people of all ages. &nb ..read more

When I began writing my blog in 2017, the reader I had in mind was the senior gardener who was rethinking their gardening future in view of health challenges. That decision was based on an article I had read in a recent landscaping trade magazine suggesting that landscape professionals learn about the special needs facing their aging customers. Nursing a bad knee and teetering on the cusp of 80 also influenced me. Initial posts were, essentially, based on personal experience. As time went on, more included research, other peoples’ experiences and just talking with people of all ages. &nb ..read more

5 ways to maximize the goodness of gardening Did you know gardening can have a significant, positive impact on people’s lives? During the pandemic, 18 million new gardeners turned to their outdoor spaces to relieve the stress and anxiety caused by isolation. In addition to the calming effect that working in and visiting gardens can have on mental and physical health, gardening also teaches valuable life skills. For example, at a community garden in Detroit, homeless women and mothers gained confidence and self-reliance by learning how to grow their own vegetables. Here are five vital ways gar ..read more

Become an adaptive gardener… Gardening is an activity that most of us do because we want to. We do it because it’s pleasurable, healthy, puts fresh produce on the table, beautifies our environment, and the list goes on. However, when the breathing gets more difficult or the knees or back give out, many gardeners call it quits, hang up the trowel, and retreat to the indoors. Instead, why not become an “adaptive gardener?” Adapt your garden and gardening to accommodate your changing capabilities. Here are some of the ways senior gardeners are adapting: This five-gallon bucket is my choice ..read more

Humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, plants “breathe” in the carbon dioxide and release oxygen. We are perfect partners with plants. While we have officed at home, more and more of us have felt the benefits of houseplants. Filling our home office with undemanding plants we’ve understood more fully the calm they can bring. Now, as we are moving between home and office, employees are wanting their workspaces to reflect that “at home” feel and are asking employers to provide it. “Officeplants” or “Workplants” are the new houseplants Our collective experience over the last tw ..read more

Destress, Embrace Tranquility, and Journey to Enlightenment with a Zen Garden Are you having a hard time channeling your inner Zen? Peace and tranquility may feel in short supply these days, but gardening elevates mental health and provides a great escape from relentless news cycles and the stressful state of the world. While any chance to get your hands in soil can boost your mood, one form of gardening focuses on restoring your balance and encourages you to embark on a journey toward enlightenment: Zen gardens. What is a Zen Garden? Originally developed by Japanese Buddhist monks as places ..read more

Get Gardening…Top Ten Reasons To Start! Mobile phones, tablets, and apps have become the tools of our modern lives. But it wasn’t that long ago that a shovel, a patch of soil, and a bag of seeds were the only tools needed to provide sustenance and satisfaction. With the 2020 COVID Pandemic, more and more people abandoned technology, at least for a short time each day, to spend time in the garden. Ask any new or experienced gardener why they garden and you’ll get a variety of reasons why it’s important to them. Here is National Garden’s Bureau Top Ten Reasons to Garden: 1. Garden for sa ..read more

Your yoga classes, meetings, and concerts are canceled. The kids are out of school and you’re being encouraged to stay home. In this time of #Covid-19, here are a few suggestions to cultivate something good. Start some seeds. Nothing is more life-affirming than checking each morning to see if something spouted. Plan a vegetable garden. Grow the veggies you love the most. Read about which varieties to plant from seeds and which ones are better if you purchase plants. Consult garden blogs and books. Plan to grow flowers that make you happy. Suggestions: sunflowers, nasturtiums, zinnias or marig ..read more

What is Adaptive Gardening? Adaptive gardening offers a myriad of ways for gardeners of all ages with a limited range of motion, the wheelchair bound, or anyone wanting to reduce stress on their joints, to identify what works for them in their garden according to their personal physical realities. My approach will help you think through what you may need in the future, so you can make changes now and not have to undo your hard work later. The objectives of adaptive gardening are threefold: 1 To raise awareness of adaptive techniques that enable gardeners to re-think how and when they garden ..read more