Gardens Inspire and Offer Health Benefits
 
Gardeners live happier, healthier lives. Research appears to support this hypothesis. “Keeping active, both mentally and physically, can add years to your life,” according to experts with the National Garden Bureau. “The physical efforts of gardening---digging, planting, bending and walking—are great forms of exercise.” 

Exercise keeps the body healthy and can in turn improve mental outlook and mood. Gardening provides stimulation of all five senses—sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch.
Gardening can be a great way to meet people. (I hear this frequently from volunteers at the Arboretum at Tanglewood.)  If you value the solitude of being by yourself, tending to the needs of plants provides a time to be alone with one’s thoughts. Something as nonrestrictive as maintaining container gardens is often adequate down time to offer therapeutic value.

Even if you are not into gardening per se, you can develop an appreciation for Nature. According to renown garden writer, Elizabeth Lawrence, autumn is a perfect time to relax and enjoy the scenery around you.  Not only is this a great time to plant shrubs and trees, but it is a time to observe the succession of color that now envelops us. A myriad of reds, yellows and brown surrounds us as numerous tree species rival for attention. The spectacle will be short-lived I’m afraid due in part to the prolonged drought. So feast your eyes Triad leaf peepers! Soon there will be plenty of exercise as leaf-raking season commences.  

You can learn to love the sights and sounds of the season. Or, you can choose to be distracted by the leaf blowers, lawn mowers and mountain of leaves yet to find their way to the curb or compost bin. I choose to thrill at the sight of children playing in piles of golden leaves, and breathing the crisp morning air knowing that the long, hot summer is behind us.

Colorful seed catalogs are reminding us that another gardening year is not far off.  

Gardens have the power to restore our spirits and connect us to nature. Health care specialists now recognize the therapeutic power of a garden, and studies show that this form of exercise can aid in the recovery process from illness.

 So whether you garden for food production or just for peace of mind, America’s favorite pastime adds value to our lives. Clearly, gardens inspire people in different ways.  

Around the Arboretum

The National Wildlife Federation(NWF) announces that the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park is now recognized as an official Certified Wildlife Habitat site. The property attracts a variety of birds, butterflies and other wildlife, while helping to protect the local environment.

NWF began the Wildlife Habitat certification program in 1973, and has certified thousands of garden spaces nationwide. Any gardening enthusiast can create a certified habitat in their backyard, on a school campus or community park. In order to be certified, a property must provide the four basic elements that all wildlife need: food, water, cover and places to raise their young. The applicant must show that they employ sustainable gardening practices.  More information about gardening for wildlife is available at www.nwf.org or 1800-822-9919.

Successful Gardener TIPS
It may be too late to plant vegetables, but this is the perfect time to have your soil tested for that tomato or salad patch next spring. Contact the Cooperative Extension Center for soil test kits.  It remains a free service of the NCDA Agronomic Service.
While planting pansies and other fall blooming flowers this season, spade into the bed a phosphorus fertilizer for better root and flower production. Many specialty “bloom-booster” fertilizers and organic products are available at garden shops for this purpose.

Should you need more specific instructions on lawn care, contact the Forsyth County  Extension Center’s gardening hotline most afternoons at 703-2850.