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
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