Therapeutic Gardening

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
~ John Burroughs

This is one of the truest statements I have ever read. And considering where we live, this does not come as a surprise. There is something extremely therapeutic about being here in the forest. I also think it is why so many people come up from below to visit. To be soothed and healed and have their senses put in order. Living off the hill will definitely mess up your senses. At least it did mine!

After doing a little research, I found out that gardening can actually be classified as therapeutic. Of course, those of us who garden, already know this. It is probably what draws people out into the garden. A need to get back to basics, to nature, to put their hands into the dirt and to grow something.

Gardens have been around since Adam and Eve. God chose to put the first man and woman in a garden, so perhaps that should be our first clue as to how wonderful gardens are for us. I think gardens and outdoor spaces are essential to the well being of us humans. Gardening is therapeutic not only for the person doing it, but for everyone who comes in contact with the garden. A garden touches everyone.

My garden at home is in it's very early stages. When we bought our house, there was nothing there but a few pine trees. My new plants are small and sparse. The trees still look like bushes and at times I wonder if I will live to see them get big and provide the shade and privacy I desire in my garden. But I keep working at it any way. I keep expanding it, planning it and caring for it. While it is starting to take shape, I only see what is left to be done and not how much I have accomplished so far. I forget how it used to look before I started. However, I am constantly reminded by others how wonderful it is. This really makes me stop and think how much a garden is appreciated, even though it doesn't yet look the way I want it to.

When I am working in the garden, it is rare that a passerby does not stop to chat and talk about the garden. I have been given compliments on it, asked questions about how I get things to grow, how to amend the soil and what my future plans for the garden are. My garden opens up lines of conversation that probably would go unspoken other wise. Working in the garden gets you outside and into your neighborhood. As other pass by either walking or in their cars, they feel comfortable stopping to say hi and chat about the garden. It allows me to get to know neighbors that otherwise I might not ever meet! My garden is not only good for my soul, it is good for other people's souls as well. It helps me to socialize as well and get back to the days when everyone sat out on their front porches and watched the world go by.

continued in the next post