“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.” — May Sarton

Just as gardening provides numerous physical and mental health benefits, it also supports our spiritual wellness. Connecting with the Earth, its soil, sights and sounds and co-creating some of nature’s goodness through gardening, connects us to the oneness and transcendence felt when interacting with nature. Linked to the idea of biophilia – humanity’s innate tendency to seek connections with other forms of life and nature, is nature’s and gardening’s way of making meaning out of our lives. Being in a garden and feeling a profound connection to the land provides us the opportunity to focus on beauty and inspires us to experience feelings of awe, gratitude and abundance. What’s more, the act of gardening can connect us to entering an altered state of consciousness (‘the zone’) like what a jogger or one who practices yoga or meditation can experience. This transcendent state is a magical and spiritual place where one experiences the best of who s/he is (50). Gardening is a mindful activity, engaging all the senses. Mindfulness is the state of being completely present in the moment. Gardening allows us to practice mindfulness through planting, watering, weeding and harvesting. Through these tasks and others, your senses are fully engaged in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and tactile sensations of your garden (51). Also, as James Van Praagh notes, gardening gets you out of your own head and helps ground you. We all spend lots of time “in our heads” thinking, worrying, and planning but gardening gives us time to connect with something tangible and real (52).

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

50. 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/

51) Van Praagh, James. “10 Reasons Gardening is Good for the Soul.” 2021. https://www.vanpraagh.com/ten-reasons-gardening-is-good-for-the-soul/

52. Ibid.