Happiness at your own back door
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Everyone's talking about gardening at the moment.
Reportedly, Amy Winehouse has been taking inspiration from Alan Titchmarsh's gardening books and Russell Brand told journalists that his new wife, Katy Perry, encouraged his new horticultural hobby. Even Michelle Obama, if stories are true, is set to write a gardening book.
What is it about the garden that has suddenly got everyone so excited? It's nothing new: apparently it's sheer happiness.
Gardening can reawaken the inner child within us. Remember when you used to dig in the dirt for worms and snails? Or marvelled at the ladybirds climbing up the runner bean plants? Watch your own children do the same. Become a ten year old again and play in the mud.
It's satisfying; yes, it requires dedication but the rewards are worth the commitment. The exertion and patience needed to dig a vegetable patch, carefully tend the soil, remove weeds and prevent hungry birds from eating seeds all result in that wonderful moment where you discover a tiny shoot of green peeping up through the earth.
Not to mention the pride that can be derived through displaying your own fresh flowers or eating home-grown fruit and vegetables, along with the nutritional and financial benefits.
Being in the garden is something you can share with others, be it planting flowers with the kids or socialising with friends, lounging on some nice, comfy garden furniture. Many people forget that the garden can be an extension of the house; an extra room.
There may not always be sunshine, but come wind, come rain, there will still be wildlife in your garden. Put up a bird box and enjoy spying different species from common sparrows to exotic ring necked parakeets or look out for hedgehogs and squirrels; the children love this.
Gardening, of course, is a healthy activity and is one of the main sources of exercise for the over 50s. It not only provides a physical work out but a mental one too, according to studies from New Zealand. Those who garden regularly have more energy and a greater 'zest for life' than those who do not.
Reportedly, Amy Winehouse has been taking inspiration from Alan Titchmarsh's gardening books and Russell Brand told journalists that his new wife, Katy Perry, encouraged his new horticultural hobby. Even Michelle Obama, if stories are true, is set to write a gardening book.
What is it about the garden that has suddenly got everyone so excited? It's nothing new: apparently it's sheer happiness.
Gardening can reawaken the inner child within us. Remember when you used to dig in the dirt for worms and snails? Or marvelled at the ladybirds climbing up the runner bean plants? Watch your own children do the same. Become a ten year old again and play in the mud.
It's satisfying; yes, it requires dedication but the rewards are worth the commitment. The exertion and patience needed to dig a vegetable patch, carefully tend the soil, remove weeds and prevent hungry birds from eating seeds all result in that wonderful moment where you discover a tiny shoot of green peeping up through the earth.
Not to mention the pride that can be derived through displaying your own fresh flowers or eating home-grown fruit and vegetables, along with the nutritional and financial benefits.
Being in the garden is something you can share with others, be it planting flowers with the kids or socialising with friends, lounging on some nice, comfy garden furniture. Many people forget that the garden can be an extension of the house; an extra room.
There may not always be sunshine, but come wind, come rain, there will still be wildlife in your garden. Put up a bird box and enjoy spying different species from common sparrows to exotic ring necked parakeets or look out for hedgehogs and squirrels; the children love this.
Gardening, of course, is a healthy activity and is one of the main sources of exercise for the over 50s. It not only provides a physical work out but a mental one too, according to studies from New Zealand. Those who garden regularly have more energy and a greater 'zest for life' than those who do not.
Posted by : HomeImprovement
@ Apr 13, 2011
