by GardenLover | Jul 10, 2013 | Special Topic
You H.A.V.E to Garden: Feeling Good in the Garden
By Debra Knapke
As Michael pointed out in his post, You H.A.V.E. to Garden (April 17, 2013), there are many reasons why we have to garden and why we have to spread the word about the benefits of gardening, not only for ourselves, but also for the world.
My family knows that when it’s been a bad day or if I have a decision to make or if I just need to think — I will go out into the garden and weed, plant or putter. Putting my hands in the soil is calming. I can be present in the moment and let my mind become still and untangled. This is not unique to me. Other gardeners report that being in the garden is calming, thought-ordering, life-changing. So, the question is: Why?
Sometimes it is the small things in life that are important. In an experimental lung cancer treatment, researchers found that a soil-borne bacterium, Mycobacterium vaccae, reduced the symptoms of the cancer and seemed to increase the vitality, positive attitudes and cognitive functions of participants in the trial. Dr. Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at Bristol University, continued the research with mice to look into this bacterial reason for the 
patients’ mental and emotional well-being. His research was corroborated by Dorothy Matthews and Susan Jenks, at the Sage Colleges in New York. According to their studies, Mycobacterium vaccae increases the levels of serotonin in the brains of mice. The researchers believe that it has a similar effect on humans and thus appears to increase a sense of well-being in us.
Serotonin, found in animal digestive tracts and central nervous systems, has been called the “happiness hormone.” It affects many of our life functions: mood, learning, sleep, and the constriction of blood vessels. Low levels have been correlated with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, appetite and sleep disorders, migraines, and digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. There is also considerable evidence for a connection between low levels of serotonin and SIDS. Would it be stretching the imagination to think that by walking in the garden and smelling freshly turned soil we can increase the happiness in our lives?
As gardeners, we not only smell it, but we get a bigger dose through skin-to-bacterium contact. Is this why so many gardeners tend to be happy? Unfortunately, the research has shown that the effect is temporary, two to three weeks.
So, here is your prescription: go out into the garden and renew your acquaintance with Mycobacterium vaccae at least once a week for 30-60 minutes; the more, the better.
by GardenLover | Jul 3, 2013 | Gardens to Drive
Red crocosmia, white hydrangea and blue cornflowers
The red and white and starry blue
Is freedom’s shield and hope.
~John Philip Sousa
by GardenLover | Jun 27, 2013 | Good eats
By Teresa Woodard
I was delighted to return home from a visit to my sister’s in Alabama to find ripe cherries and black raspberries in our backyard. Yes, the bluejays beat me to several of the cherries, and I always forget the chore of pitting the fruits, but I gathered enough to try in a new recipe. It’s one I flagged in the recent issue of Southern Living which I fittingly read on the porch of my southern sister’s lake house. While the recipe called for blackberries and peaches, I swapped those fruits for cherries and black raspberries. The bars were a fun alternative to a traditional cobbler recipe. Plus, pre-cutting the bars helped with portion control and made them easily portability. They were so simple to grab and go for a breakfast treat on the way to our son’s baseball game. Click here for the Southern Living recipe.
by GardenLover | Jun 23, 2013 | Catch Us, Trendspotting
By Teresa Woodard
Lou Killilea, owner of DeMoyne’s Greenhouse in Columbus, Ohio, recently shared her clever succulent containers for a story, “Thrift Shop Chic”, in Ohio Gardener, Missouri Gardener, Indiana Gardener, Wisconsin Gardener and Pennsylvania Gardener. She and her daughter Kathy shop thrift stores for second-hand treasures to upcycle as garden containers. Check out the July/August issue to see their stylish succulents in boots, crocs, lipstick cases, handbags and more. Also, see Debra Knapke’s post about favorite succulents.
by GardenLover | Jun 8, 2013 | Special Topic
By Teresa Woodard
Graduation parties, garden weddings and backyard family reunions – there’s nothing like a milestone event to 
motivate you to get your garden in peak shape. For me, the planning for our daughter’s graduation party started a year ago when I took a closer look at what was blooming in our landscape in late May. At the time, it seemed rather green and lacking some flowers, so I decided to add some late-blooming allium bulbs to our boxwood hedge and plant some poppy seeds in our meadow.
While the allium bulbs bloomed on command, the poppies lagged behind. Still, the impending event deadline pushed us to weed, trim, prune, edge and plant ahead of our typical spring schedule. As the event date drew closer, we checked off more and more gardening chores. Yes, some weeds still snuck by us but we were able to get the garden in good shape to share with friends and family. Now, we’re hoping the early work will give us a chance to rest and enjoy the garden for a few weeks. That is, until we start planning for our second daughter’s graduation in 2014.
In the meantime, here are some journal notes on lessons learned:
- Start container baskets a month in advance to allow them to fill in better.
- Sow more seeds for spring-blooming flowers (e.g., poppies and larkspurs) in the meadow. Try planting in October instead of February.
- Embrace the landscape’s peak elements for that season and make them look their best (e.g., the lush spring lawn, the boxwood hedge and the blooming shrubs)
- Block out days for garden chores, so we don’t get overwhelmed with last-minute work.
- Welcome friends’ gracious offers to help.
- Enjoy the successes and accept the imperfections.
You H.A.V.E to Garden: Feeling Good in the Garden
patients’ mental and emotional well-being. His research was corroborated by Dorothy Matthews and Susan Jenks, at the Sage Colleges in New York. According to their studies, Mycobacterium vaccae increases the levels of serotonin in the brains of mice. The researchers believe that it has a similar effect on humans and thus appears to increase a sense of well-being in us.
