Gardening &

Well-Being

Dora Berry

Nature’s Elements – Landscapes, Gardens, Habitats

Why Are You Here?

What brought you to this session focused on Well-Being?

WHY do you garden, or work in the gardening field?

What first drew you to gardening?

What do you feel when in garden spaces?

What do you feel after being in the garden?

What do you feel after being in nature?

Well-known Nature Wellness

Forest Bathing

Nature Walks & Trails

Nature Retreats

Vision Quests

Camping

Cabins

Mountain Get-Away

Lake Resorts

7 Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

– alive.com editorial

Better overall health and quality of life

An immune system boost

Lowered stress and lowered blood pressure

Increased physical activity

A boost in mental health

Better cardiovascular health

Increased creativity and problem-solving skills

Resilient Rose

Grounded

Blanket

Flower

Connection

in Creating

Enjoy the Beauty & the Accomplishment

Abundance & Gratitude

The Start: 2 Experiences

The Chore

Weed ridden, Over-grown!

Waste to Dispose!

Incomplete projects!

Stress!!!

The Chore!

Body Strain

Poor Weather & Bugs

Rather be doing

something else

The Pleasure

Be Proactive in Your Wellness

Accept what can not be changed

Change what can not accepted

Consider your Time, Energy, $$

Gratitude, & Positivity

Pride & Accomplishment

Environmental Steward

Nutritionally Aware

Gardening & The Pleasure

Wildlife experiences

Surrounding Trees and Shrubs

Sounds, Breezes, and Sunlight

My mothers flowers

My fathers vegetables

Sharing with others

Eating our harvest all winter long

Gardening & Connection Connection with “Nature”

Person-to-Ecosystem

Appreciate your Ecosystem

Pollinator Gardens

Song Bird Gardens

Native Plants

Natural & Organic Gardening

Permaculture & Biodynamics

Rain Gardens & Harvesting

Sustainable Resources

Connection with “Village”

Person-to-Person Community

Appreciate your Community

Community & School Gardens

Local Farmers Markets

Food Shares & CSA

Food Swaps

Food Rescues

Plant Sales

Modern Society

“When you sit at a desk all day, there's something about literally putting your hands in the dirt, digging and actually

creating something that's really beautiful, …There's something about just being out there that feels kind of

elemental.“ (CNN, Health.com)

Dirt = Natural, Ecological

Digging = Exercise

Creating = Accomplishment

Beautiful = Emotions of Joy, Peace, Delight

Elemental = Connection to Nature, Earth… a part of us.

Ancient Practise

Forest-Gardens: Prehistoric Times

The gradual process of families improving their

environments

Enclosed-Gardens: ~10,000 BC

Protecting food from animals and raiders

Ornamental Gardens for Aesthetic & Pleasure:

Egyptian Tomb Paintings: 1600 BC depicting ornamental

horticulture & landscape design

Our ancestors were gardeners… or hired them!

Nonna’s Terraced

Gardens

Flowers & Food

Work, Rest, & Reprieve

Swales for irrigating

Composting

Flowers for Mausoleum

Nonna & Her Great-Granddaughters

Familial Knowledge & Connection

What is Well-Being?

Definition of Well-Being (merriam-webster)

: the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous

Definition of Wellness (merriam-webster)

: the quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal

“Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, & Proactive (in maintaining well-being)”

You’re a Gardener – You Already Know…

Many types of gardens and ways to garden

Kitchen Gardens

Flower Beds

Container Gardens

Elaborate Landscapes to Quaint Yards

Why do you garden, create gardens, or desire to garden?

What do you receive from it?

… but is there more…?

Well-Being involves Whole-Health

Well-Being is the state of being

“Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, & Proactive

in achieving & maintaining my wellness”

Your Whole-Health (or Complete Health)

encompasses

Physical, Mental, Emotional, & Spiritual Health

Gardening & Well-Being

The WAY you garden can nurture your Whole-Health:

mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Gardening can greatly improve your health in body and mind

Improve relationships with yourself, family, community, and nature

Deepen your faith

It is proven to prevent illness and prolong life.

How can you garden in ways that benefit your Well-Being?

Self-care and empowerment

Family involvement from seed to table!

Methods to enrich your community and Nature!

Therapeutic Wellness Gardens

Hospitals

Calming places

Extended Care

Table Gardens, Raised Beds

Alzheimer’s Gardens

Memorabilia

Circular

Consider accessibilities, views, allergens, etc

Public Well-Being Gardens

Urban Beautification

Public buildings & facilities, plazas, pedestrian zones

Parks, river valley trails, roadways

Indoor & Outdoor Botanical Gardens

Muttart Conservatory

John Janzen Nature Centre Rain Garden & Green-Roof

Greenhouses: After-Work Winter Wanderers

School & Work Place Indoor Plants

Focus & Calming

Air-cleaning & Sick Building Syndrome

Riverside Park,

Bridgelands,

Calgary

Corporate Gardening

Wellness “The Act of Gardening is a Comprehensive Wellness Program”

Dynamic physical activity

Creative expression

Emotional Reward

Enhanced Connection with Nature

Sense of Environmental Stewardship

Nutritional Awareness

Satisfaction of Cooking w/ organic “Fruits of One’s Labour”

Kraft Foods Inc. Wellness Garden

Private Well-Being Gardens

Meaningful Symbolism

Favourite Plants

Water & Wind Elements

Seating/Resting/Views

Entertainment Areas

Indoor Gardens

Solariums/Sunrooms

You do you!

Indoor Tropics

Indoor Gardens

Seed Starting

Edibles

Annuals

Scrap Gardening

Indoor Veggies

Strathcona In Bloom - Finalists

Memory Garden – Ciara’s Garden

What to do to Improve your Well-Being?

Well-Being is the state of being

Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Proactively seeking it.

We need to improve our Whole-Health

(physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health)

to help achieve this state of Well-Being.

Gardening can help improve our Whole Health.

Let’s get into specifics…

Gardening for Physical Health

Benefits:

Exercise, Vitamin D, Clean Air

Working in soil with beneficial “happy” bacteria

Eat healthy, home-grown, fresh veggies, fruits, & herbs

Grow medicinal plants

Building & Maintaining Gardens

Consider Heights & Widths: how far you need to bend & reach to tend?

Distances: how far from the house/garage/shed?

Access: to water, tools, amendments

Weather: Do you have the gear? Rain, cold, sun, bugs!

Don’t over do it.

Happy Science! Happy Bacteria

Happy Electromagnetism

Happy Chemical Receptors!

Gardening for Mental Health

Benefits

Using other parts of your brain; creativity, analysis, mathematical

Change of surroundings, change of pace, change of activity

Change in focus

Activate memories; access last year’s information

Good food in = good behaviour out.

Benefits through Building, Maintaining, & Enjoying

Indoor Gardens

Edible, Ornamental (Bulbs, Seasonal), Tropicals

Placement for Focus, for Rest/Relaxing

Of course, placement for light and heat.

Healthy Mind!

Gardening for Emotional Health

Benefits

Calming, Peace, Reprieve, Serenity

Fun, Gathering, Connection with Family & Friends

Delight, Joy, and feelings from beauty, memories, & moments

Feelings of accomplishment, satisfaction, success, pride

Connection with Nature, Connection with Faith, Grounding

Good food in = good emotions

Garden Views, Vignettes, Spaces

Memory, Zen, Water, Medicinal

Indoor Gardens

Focus, Calming, Peaceful

Defeat the Winter Blues!

Serenity

Views –

Communities

in Blooms

Finalists

Gardening for Spiritual Health

Many of our World’s religions and faiths carry a connection

to Nature… either a responsibility to it or an equality to it.

Gods, Deities, Leaders, Prophets, etc may draw symbolism

through Nature, may praise Nature, or go to Nature for

spiritual connection.

Benefits

A space right at home to practice your faith or spirituality

Memory gardens to connect with loved ones.

A place where You Be You.

Spiritual Space

Healing Gardens

Healing Gardens, A Beautiful Way to Cultivate Wellness

“It’s no secret to gardeners that a garden can be magical, healing space. Some gardens are being created specifically to promote healing. The positive health effects and curative gains associated with spending time in these gardens include enchanced well-beling – physically, mentally, and spiritually”.

- Bev Yaworski, 2015

“It’s easy to create a small space in the garden to enjoy a quiet moment away from everything. By adding a few simple features to your garden, you can make it your oasis.”

- Kristin Crouch

Home Healing Garden Sitting area

Surround sitting area with bright flowers and herbs

Consider adding an arbour

Plant climbing vines on your arbour.

For year-round interest, plant hardy shrubs and perennials.

Early Spring blooms: Tulips, Grape Hyacinth, Prairie Crocus, & Forsythia

Autumn blooms: Stonecrop, Rudbeckia, Helianthus, & Joe Pye Weed

For Winter: Dogwood, Tall Grasses, Hydrangea, Evergreens, Birch

Add a water feature such as a bird bath or fountain.

Add bird feeders for bird watching

The Labyrinth Healing Garden

Pioneer Memorial Park, Port Moody, BC

Thank you &

may you all

Be Well!

Dora Berry, BSc ENCS, LAT

Nature’s Elements

Sustainable Design of Landscapes, Gardens, Habitats

www.natureselements.ca