DOSE OF SUNSHINE

“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent upon it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do“

– Galileo

“We know now that bright daylight has medicinal properties. It entrains circadian rhythms, enhances mood, promotes neurological health, and affects alertness.” (23) Gardening outdoors offers the benefits of being exposed to the sun, which carries the health benefits of offering our body a natural form of Vitamin D to help maintain a healthy body. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphorus levels in the body and helps the body absorb calcium, in which the latter helps keeps bones strong and your immune system healthy. Your skin will produce enough vitamin D when exposing your hands, face, arms and legs to sunlight two to three times per week for several minutes (24).

GET DIRTY

“Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity” – Lindley Karstens

The body’s immune system also benefits from gardening by being in direct contact with dirt. In this case, it’s actually a good thing to literally get your hands dirty. In particular, the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ has shed light into the benefits of soil exposure at a young age, which has been shown to support good health. Essentially, children who are exposed to dirt in their formative years develop healthier, stronger immune systems when compared to children whose parents keep them very clean. These children exposed to dirt also demonstrate a lower incidence of asthma, eczema and allergies later in life (25). This ‘friendly’ soil bacteria known as Mycobacterium vaccaefound in common garden dirt, supports the immune system for people of all ages, helps to prevent certain allergies and decreases the severity of a reaction. Moreover, inhaling or ingesting vegetables containing this friendly bacteria from the soil has been found to alleviate psoriasis symptoms, allergies and asthma, all of which may be due to an imbalanced immune system (26).

Clearly, it’s worth trying out getting your hands in the dirt to receive the health benefits that soil provides to our immune system.

As science has demonstrated and how we ourselves have experienced, spending time in nature such as in a nature-based garden, reduces stress, elevates mood, promotes physical and psychological recovery and supports spiritual wellness. In turn, nature-based gardens support biodiversity by creating a habitat for creatures to visit and live in, and plants to feed on, thus fostering the interconnected relationship that we all share on this planet. For more information, check out this website’s tabs on “Gardens and Human Health” and “Biological Diversity.”

With this in mind, the biodiverse wellness garden model was created. It focuses on taking natural elements that support human wellness and biodiversity into designing and creating a garden. Instead of viewing biodiversity and human wellness as separate, this type of garden offers a holistic approach to supporting both wildlife and human wellness. 

A customized, comprehensive expert garden plan is available from biodiversewellnessgardens.com. These garden plans are custom designed to meet your vision, needs and budget. This service also designs biodiverse wellness gardens for specific uses. Our key goal is to offer a service that designs a garden, which both humans and biodiversity will enjoy! Please visit the “Contact” tab to connect with us to design your own Biodiverse Wellness Garden!

REFERENCES

23. Figueiro, M.G. et al. 2002. “Daylight and productivity— A possible link to circadian regulation.” Light and Human Health: EPRI/LRO, 5th International Lighting Research Symposium: Palo Alto, CA: The Lighting Research Office of the Electric Power Research Institute: 185–193. In Heerwagen article

Heerwagen, J.H. “Affective Functioning, Light Hunger and Room Brightness Preferences.” Environment and Behavior. 22(5):608–635., 1990.

24. Gates, Jane. “Gardening: The Wonderdrug.” June 9, 2014 Fix. https://www.fix.com/blog/health-benefits-of-gardening/

25. Sorin, Fran. “13 Reasons Why Gardening is Good for Your Health.” Gardening Gone Wild. https://gardeninggonewild.com/13-reasons-why-gardening-is-good-for-your-health/ 26. Andersen Hilton, Charlotte. “10 Surprising Ways That Gardening is One of the Healthiest Things You Can Do.” The Healthyhttps://www.rd.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-gardening/

26. Andersen Hilton, Charlotte. “10 Surprising Ways That Gardening is One of the Healthiest Things You Can Do.” The Healthy https://www.rd.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-gardening/