Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Garden Therapy


My Father is so proud... Last weekend I planted a little flower garden that I now have to take care of. I took a trip with my Dad to Home Depot and picked up some flowers and seeds. I planted them and I can't wait for them to grow.  I'll keep you updated on my Garden Adventures.

How interesting is this


Spending time in a garden and tending to flowers and plants is proven Therapy. 
Richard Mattson, a professor of horticultural therapy at Kansas State University, said, “By associating with plants and nature, we are working with living and responsive media with universal acceptance.”
Its benefits include stress reduction, economic savings, more nutritious food and improved community human interaction, he said.
As an example, Mattson talked about a middle-aged woman in a psychiatric hospital suffering from depression who described her life as a dark tunnel. But while working in a greenhouse, she said, everything she touched did not die.
“In fact, the marigold seeds do germinate and in a short period of time they produce flowers,” Mattson said. “She expresses her hope and responsibility about the growing plants, and ultimately how her self-esteem had grown when the flowers bloomed.”
Flinton said people with traumatic brain injury benefit from horticultural therapy because of the greenhouse environment with sunlight, fresh air, high oxygen content, high humidity and the option of music.
Flinton also gave the example of one of her brain-injured patients.
The man told her when walking into the greenhouse, “I love flowers. I love the greenhouse. My mother needs some plants. I want to pot some plants. I love the greenhouse.”