16 ms·

The Healing Power of Gardens

349 points by _0vzt 7y ago

vanderZwan 7y ago
I miss Oliver Sacks. To see that there are still some writings by him to discover is a treat.
jrace 7y ago
>I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication. --- I have witnessed this with my wife who's neurological disorder causes her to be in a "fright or flight" state virtually all day every day. When she is either planning the garden, tending to the garden or just enjoying the garden I can see a reduced level of stress and increased ability to focus and multitask. All things which are very difficult outside of the garden.
- kaybe 7y ago
  That sounds like you'd need a portable garden. (Whether that still works is another question.) I've seen people talk about car plants, which would be a similar idea. (The feasibility depends a lot on climate of course.) And then of course there are many houseplants enthusiasts, it seems easy to develop some kind of addiction when stressed or mentally not well. Plants everywhere!
- hanniabu 7y ago
  Not only is it visually pleasing, as an escape fro our usual concrete-filled world (probably because we evolved living in nature), but without doing any research to look up studies I feel like the reduced stress might also come from the smell (pheromones).
  - jrace 7y ago
    Very likely. As well I think it empowers her and gives her some semblance of control. Combined with the satisfaction of taking an idea and seeing it through, and then having that idea grow beyond what you originally intended. We are planning our new home around the ability to construct and maintain a years-long garden project.
  - kaycebasques 7y ago
    It goes deep in our psyche. In 101 Principles Of Design they mention a hospital that put up photos of bamboo trees in their hallways, so that it feels like you’re walking through a forest, because of the calming effect it has on patients. Photos of trees, not even real trees.
- ivoallasap 7y ago
  That's great to hear. I think being in a place where you can see seasonal change also has a calming and humbling effect. The wisteria in the springtime, the beautiful colors of the leaves in autumn - being around those changes in your natural habitat can be destressing and comforting, as they show that life and the natural world still goes on around you.
Pfhreak 7y ago
This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants will attract bees near these other plants, these plants will repel insects. These will bloom early, these bloom late". You can grow flowers, you can grow vegetables which you can turn into cooked, canned, or pickled food. There's something about putting food on a plate that came from your yard, from your care. There's something about sitting in a green (or red, or blue, or yellow, etc.) space that you made. I'm a sucker for games like Minecraft, Factorio, etc. Raising a garden is like a slow motion version of those things. It's a fusion of creative and scientific/engineering brains. It's great.
- rboyd 7y ago
  Well put! I really like the streamlining/automation aspect of the gardening too (drip lines, etc), and the journaling/tracking year over year. Factorio is next in my queue. Cities: Skylines is my current go to.
  - a012 7y ago
    Drip lines are cool and helpful when you aren't there all the time. But getting your hands dirty and watering yourself is some kinds of meditation. I feel so relaxing and refreshing when holding garden hose pouring water for all the plants in the weekend.
    - Pfhreak 7y ago
      That's what I like about gardening. You can approach it as an exercise in automation, or not. Both are available and widely supported. Whatever works for you!
- hanniabu 7y ago
  > There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain Agreed, and it's also not a stressful task in itself for some reason. I'm somebody that's over analytical and tends to succumb to analysis paralysis, but when it comes to garden work I never experience that. (possibly because I know plants are resilient and it's hard to mess up?)
gamebak 7y ago
I hate having to pay for an article, can this be stopped from promotions on HN?
- sctb 7y ago
  > It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off topic. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
- johnsimer 7y ago
  I hate having to pay for food Doesn't mean people shouldn't recommend restaurants to me
kingkawn 7y ago
We are, despite our pretenses, also products of the natural world, and do well to reside amongst our kind.
- benatkin 7y ago
  There's something about this I read on Slate Star Codex that I found entertaining and insightful. It's easy to forget that we needed to be in a fertile place in the past, and for the most part we don't need to now, except for emotional reasons. "Most people are happier when they’re in at least some Nature, whether this means a grand national park or just a leafy suburb with lots of chirping birds. The average person would consider a concrete lot full of Brutalist apartments a little soul-crushing. This probably comes from an evolutionary heuristic in favor of fertile areas and against barren ones; the closest chimpanzee-parseable equivalent to a concrete lot would be a desert or lava flow, where food and shelter are scarce. But nowadays we can order takeout, and the Brutalist apartment buildings provide all the shelter we need. This is probably another obsolete evolutionary relic, but it’s a very persistent one." https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/24/value-differences-as-differently-crystallized-metaphysical-heuristics/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/24/value-differences-as-d...
  - omarchowdhury 7y ago
    I'd think it'd be well to also note, aside a evolutionary analysis based on the past, in the present, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
    - benatkin 7y ago
      We also need plants to eat. We don't need direct access to the plants to eat them, nor do we need direct access to plants to benefit from carbon dioxide to oxygen conversion. I'm not aware of where the plants I eat come from, most of the time. I'm not saying I don't need plants, I just don't necessarily need to live among them, but I like being able to see plants frequently. I have no desire to have my own garden though, I would rather appreciate nature in a public place where everyone can enjoy them, such as parks and along streets.
jedberg 7y ago
Before we had kids, my wife and I would work in the garden almost every weekend. After spending a week dealing with servers on fire, doing mindless repetitive work was exactly what I needed to rest my mind. At one point I dug out a garden that was 37’ x 14’ and over a foot deep. I did the math once and figured out that I moved more than 2000 lbs of dirt (a literal ton) and then I moved a literal ton of bricks to the back yard to build the retaining walls. Measuring your accomplishments in tonnage is very satisfying.
- benj111 7y ago
  "Before we had kids" Why did you stop? Personally I make an extra effort to get them outside, for young kids theres so much to learn in a garden, or out for a walk.
  - jedberg 7y ago
    The garden is too dangerous for the kids because there are a lot of sharp things around. :) I didn't build it with kids in mind, so for example all the wire fencing is just cut with no ends. We'll get out there with them in a few years. My daughter helps with the front yard sometimes.
    - benj111 7y ago
      Fair enough. Its all rusty barbed wire fence by us, so rationally it doesn't make a difference, wouldn't want my kids injuring themselves on something like that in the garden though.
galazzah 7y ago
Does anyone recommend a particular guide for getting started in gardening?
- someone7x 7y ago
  Square Foot Gardening is a great introduction; an retired aerospace engineer finds the world of gardening full of contradictions and myths. He boils it all down to fundamentals that are easy to apply.
sinemetu11 7y ago
One of the gardens pictured in the article, Elizabeth Street Garden, is a great spot in the middle of retail chaos in New York. Sadly a real estate development filed a lawsuit this month in hopes of destroying it: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/581fb257b8a79bf741c673a9/t/5c41f63242bfc10641576ff6/1547826743141/know+the+facts+-+v3.jpg https://static1.squarespace.com/static/581fb257b8a79bf741c67...
checkyoursudo 7y ago
My wife and I have been gardening for around 15 years. We spent a couple of years, maybe 5 or 7 years ago, trying straw bale gardens. It was quite interesting. I would recommend giving it a try some time. You can do it even with just one bale. We did it with about 10-12 bales of oat straw from a farm we knew. E.g., https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Bale-Gardens-Complete-Karsten/dp/1591869072/ https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Bale-Gardens-Complete-Karsten/d... was the author of the book we used, though this seems to be an updated version to the one we used. I prefer raised soil beds, but this straw bale style was quite enjoyable.
fillskills 7y ago
I am actively working on a startup to encourage gardening for all the mentioned benefits. If someone wants to chat about it please reach out. Email in profile.
imartin2k 7y ago
Oddly, I have never felt the allure of gardens, I don't have any plants myself, and if I'd have to choose between a city environment and nature, I'd in most cases choose the city (and not because of its parks). Both when I am happy and when I am sad. I like a good sunset but that's it. I'm clearly in a minority with this, it seems.
aloer 7y ago
I've had a theory for some time now based on my own observations: A big part of why nature is so calming is the absence of repeating patterns. In our artificial life everything follows standardized forms and patterns. It's a sterile world. The most obvious example being rectangles and perfect 90 degree angles everywhere. But I would also count things like uniform colors, evenly spread (artificial) light, predictable sounds etc. That makes me think that somehow something like this absence of patterns - and the knowledge/assumption for our brain that they are not to be expected in nature - helps us. The beauty in this is that nature _is_ full of patterns. But on a different level, no two patterns are ever the same. When you look at a green tree you simply won't assume to find two leaves with the same color and shape. That's the difference. Some years ago I got myself an empty canvas frame and put natural linen fabric (https://www.fabric.com/buy/ff-357/kaufman-antwerp-linen-natural https://www.fabric.com/buy/ff-357/kaufman-antwerp-linen-natu...) on it. No painting, just the linen. For the same reason: It's calming to look at Or maybe I'm just weird :)
- blunte 7y ago
  What you say regarding patterns is true compared to human-made thubgs, but I'm not sure that is what is the root attraction. For me it's the practically endless possibility that I will see or hear (or even smell) something new if I'm using my senses (instead of busy thinking about human problems). There's little difference betweey explanation and yours, but I selfishly think it's all about our experience.
  - blunte 7y ago
    I have no idea what a "thubgs" is, but I suspect it's a garden. Phone typing is clearly an art that not all possess.
    - richardw 7y ago
      U next to I. B next to n. "Things" is my guess.
- blotter_paper 7y ago
Causality1 7y ago
Given the author's observations, I would draw a different conclusion. I would conclude it isn't so much that gardens are good for you but that urban living, surrounding yourself with noise, strangers, glass, and concrete is bad for you.
padolsey 7y ago
Gardens and other natural spaces absolutely affect social and mental wellbeing. An interesting piece of research into the effects of greenery and nature on wellbeing was conducted back in 2001 by Ming Kuo and William Sullivan [0]. I love referencing it in discussions like these as it's a rather opportunistic experimental setting that might have otherwise never occurred, and gives us some pretty great data to recount when we only otherwise have anecdotes. In Chicago there was a set of high-rise public-housing buildings. The residents of these buildings had been assigned randomly by the public housing system. Attrition over time had left some buildings surrounded by only concrete and asphalt and others with pockets of green. Kuo and Sullivan were able to compare levels of aggression of 145 residents. They found higher levels of aggression and familial conflict recalled by those living less close to nature. They backed up this data by looking at similar low-rise developments [1]. Controlling for other factors, they compared crime rates of inhabitants who experienced less natural proximity to those with more. They found that roughly 7% of the variation in crime that couldn't be accounted for by other factors could be accounted for by the amount of trees. Ming Kuo has gone on to research the link between nature and school performance, one of her recent studies concluding that "greening has the potential to mitigate academic underachievement in high-poverty urban schools."[2] In another fascinating piece of research she has also found that "Children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after outdoor activities in lush environments."[3] Many of this research matches our collective anecdotes. We know that we are somehow hard-wired for nature. Yet we keep ourselves locked away in buildings for hours on end with little of it except corporate potted plants (often fake) and the odd photo or poster on the wall. To pile on with another opinion... I think there's something about 'wild' greenery that is distinctly effective versus manicured greenery. Its chaos and growth somehow synchronise with the minds' inherent nature. In an incredibly fundamental way, we are supposed to be amongst that wildness. [0] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/245234610_Aggression_and_Violence_in_the_Inner_City https://www.researchgate.net/publication/245234610_Aggressio... [1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249624302_Environment_and_Crime_in_the_Inner_City_Does_Vegetation_Reduce_Crime https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249624302_Environme... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327876862_Might_School_Performance_Grow_on_Trees_Examining_the_Link_Between_Greenness_and_Academic_Achievement_in_Urban_High-Poverty_Schools https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327876862_Might_Sch... [3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23192434_Children_With_Attention_Deficits_Concentrate_Better_After_Walk_in_the_Park https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23192434_Children_W...
hospitate 7y ago
Of all the plants, trees by far give me the most pleasure. A suburb with trees is a thousand times better than one without. The shade of a tree is completely transformative. It gives me a fuzzy warm feeling inside. It’s concerning to me that such an important aesthetic component is so transient and difficult to control. When you build a house, you control every aspect of its design. It’s materials are tough and long lasting. But the trees around the house are prone to dying. They get too old or they get sick or whatever. And when they do, you can’t really replace them. I’ve seen tons of houses where they had great atmosphere but then one of their large trees died and the feeling of the house is totally ruined. I’m not sure if you can order a grown tree and have it implanted but it’s probably really expensive. We need artificial trees that last longer and are easy to replace. Humans are drawn to vistas. Standing on the top of a hill and looking at the vista is something everyone agrees is beautiful and feels good. I think it might be because our ancestors were tree-dwelling monkeys. The higher in the tree you climb, the better the view, the safer you are from predators. If we are drawn to views then we would likely spend more time high up in the tree. Maybe that’s also why we find trees themselves so appealing. Ancient wiring.
- voidmain0001 7y ago
  I am fortunate to have a house on a larger plot of land considering it's in a dense urban environment, and on the land are very impressive trees such as an oak, a maple, a few birch, and a black cherry. Regrettably the birch are short lived, and while they still produce leaves they are getting weak and I will need to bring them down in a few years. The cherry still produces leaves and may even flower this year, but its wood is very brittle and it will probably come down this fall. It truly is sad as their loss will definitely impact why I moved into the house.
adreamingsoul 7y ago
I'm (hopefully) on the tail-end of dealing with mental health issues. I was dealing with burnout, depression, substance abuse, trauma, psychosis, and severe anxiety. Right about then I started this backyard project to create a chemical-free, sustainable, and diverse "forest garden". Currently, about two years later that Eco-system is starting to explode with more bugs, fungus, and birds. I found solitude, peace, and healing in the process of working with nature. I worked hard to revitalize the natural environment around me, and through that process I want to believe that nature found a way to heal me too. Also, I had a therapist and a supporting partner who helped me through the tough times. Anyways, I can't recommend enough getting your hands in the dirt, appreciating all forms of nature, and learning about the various Eco-systems that are needed for nature to thrive.

349 points by _0vzt 7y ago

I miss Oliver Sacks. To see that there are still some writings by him to discover is a treat.

>I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication. --- I have witnessed this with my wife who's neurological disorder causes her to be in a "fright or flight" state virtually all day every day. When she is either planning the garden, tending to the garden or just enjoying the garden I can see a reduced level of stress and increased ability to focus and multitask. All things which are very difficult outside of the garden.

kaybe 7y ago
That sounds like you'd need a portable garden. (Whether that still works is another question.) I've seen people talk about car plants, which would be a similar idea. (The feasibility depends a lot on climate of course.) And then of course there are many houseplants enthusiasts, it seems easy to develop some kind of addiction when stressed or mentally not well. Plants everywhere!
hanniabu 7y ago
Not only is it visually pleasing, as an escape fro our usual concrete-filled world (probably because we evolved living in nature), but without doing any research to look up studies I feel like the reduced stress might also come from the smell (pheromones).
- jrace 7y ago
  Very likely. As well I think it empowers her and gives her some semblance of control. Combined with the satisfaction of taking an idea and seeing it through, and then having that idea grow beyond what you originally intended. We are planning our new home around the ability to construct and maintain a years-long garden project.
- kaycebasques 7y ago
  It goes deep in our psyche. In 101 Principles Of Design they mention a hospital that put up photos of bamboo trees in their hallways, so that it feels like you’re walking through a forest, because of the calming effect it has on patients. Photos of trees, not even real trees.
ivoallasap 7y ago
That's great to hear. I think being in a place where you can see seasonal change also has a calming and humbling effect. The wisteria in the springtime, the beautiful colors of the leaves in autumn - being around those changes in your natural habitat can be destressing and comforting, as they show that life and the natural world still goes on around you.

Pfhreak 7y ago

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants will attract bees near these other plants, these plants will repel insects. These will bloom early, these bloom late". You can grow flowers, you can grow vegetables which you can turn into cooked, canned, or pickled food. There's something about putting food on a plate that came from your yard, from your care. There's something about sitting in a green (or red, or blue, or yellow, etc.) space that you made. I'm a sucker for games like Minecraft, Factorio, etc. Raising a garden is like a slow motion version of those things. It's a fusion of creative and scientific/engineering brains. It's great.

rboyd 7y ago
Well put! I really like the streamlining/automation aspect of the gardening too (drip lines, etc), and the journaling/tracking year over year. Factorio is next in my queue. Cities: Skylines is my current go to.
- a012 7y ago
  Drip lines are cool and helpful when you aren't there all the time. But getting your hands dirty and watering yourself is some kinds of meditation. I feel so relaxing and refreshing when holding garden hose pouring water for all the plants in the weekend.
  - Pfhreak 7y ago
    That's what I like about gardening. You can approach it as an exercise in automation, or not. Both are available and widely supported. Whatever works for you!
hanniabu 7y ago
> There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain Agreed, and it's also not a stressful task in itself for some reason. I'm somebody that's over analytical and tends to succumb to analysis paralysis, but when it comes to garden work I never experience that. (possibly because I know plants are resilient and it's hard to mess up?)

gamebak 7y ago

I hate having to pay for an article, can this be stopped from promotions on HN?

sctb 7y ago
> It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off topic. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html
johnsimer 7y ago
I hate having to pay for food Doesn't mean people shouldn't recommend restaurants to me

kingkawn 7y ago

We are, despite our pretenses, also products of the natural world, and do well to reside amongst our kind.

benatkin 7y ago
There's something about this I read on Slate Star Codex that I found entertaining and insightful. It's easy to forget that we needed to be in a fertile place in the past, and for the most part we don't need to now, except for emotional reasons. "Most people are happier when they’re in at least some Nature, whether this means a grand national park or just a leafy suburb with lots of chirping birds. The average person would consider a concrete lot full of Brutalist apartments a little soul-crushing. This probably comes from an evolutionary heuristic in favor of fertile areas and against barren ones; the closest chimpanzee-parseable equivalent to a concrete lot would be a desert or lava flow, where food and shelter are scarce. But nowadays we can order takeout, and the Brutalist apartment buildings provide all the shelter we need. This is probably another obsolete evolutionary relic, but it’s a very persistent one." https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/24/value-differences-as-differently-crystallized-metaphysical-heuristics/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/24/value-differences-as-d...
- omarchowdhury 7y ago
  I'd think it'd be well to also note, aside a evolutionary analysis based on the past, in the present, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
  - benatkin 7y ago
    We also need plants to eat. We don't need direct access to the plants to eat them, nor do we need direct access to plants to benefit from carbon dioxide to oxygen conversion. I'm not aware of where the plants I eat come from, most of the time. I'm not saying I don't need plants, I just don't necessarily need to live among them, but I like being able to see plants frequently. I have no desire to have my own garden though, I would rather appreciate nature in a public place where everyone can enjoy them, such as parks and along streets.

jedberg 7y ago

Before we had kids, my wife and I would work in the garden almost every weekend. After spending a week dealing with servers on fire, doing mindless repetitive work was exactly what I needed to rest my mind. At one point I dug out a garden that was 37’ x 14’ and over a foot deep. I did the math once and figured out that I moved more than 2000 lbs of dirt (a literal ton) and then I moved a literal ton of bricks to the back yard to build the retaining walls. Measuring your accomplishments in tonnage is very satisfying.

benj111 7y ago
"Before we had kids" Why did you stop? Personally I make an extra effort to get them outside, for young kids theres so much to learn in a garden, or out for a walk.
- jedberg 7y ago
  The garden is too dangerous for the kids because there are a lot of sharp things around. :) I didn't build it with kids in mind, so for example all the wire fencing is just cut with no ends. We'll get out there with them in a few years. My daughter helps with the front yard sometimes.
  - benj111 7y ago
    Fair enough. Its all rusty barbed wire fence by us, so rationally it doesn't make a difference, wouldn't want my kids injuring themselves on something like that in the garden though.

galazzah 7y ago

Does anyone recommend a particular guide for getting started in gardening?

someone7x 7y ago
Square Foot Gardening is a great introduction; an retired aerospace engineer finds the world of gardening full of contradictions and myths. He boils it all down to fundamentals that are easy to apply.

sinemetu11 7y ago

One of the gardens pictured in the article, Elizabeth Street Garden, is a great spot in the middle of retail chaos in New York. Sadly a real estate development filed a lawsuit this month in hopes of destroying it: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/581fb257b8a79bf741c673a9/t/5c41f63242bfc10641576ff6/1547826743141/know+the+facts+-+v3.jpg https://static1.squarespace.com/static/581fb257b8a79bf741c67...

checkyoursudo 7y ago

My wife and I have been gardening for around 15 years. We spent a couple of years, maybe 5 or 7 years ago, trying straw bale gardens. It was quite interesting. I would recommend giving it a try some time. You can do it even with just one bale. We did it with about 10-12 bales of oat straw from a farm we knew. E.g., https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Bale-Gardens-Complete-Karsten/dp/1591869072/ https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Bale-Gardens-Complete-Karsten/d... was the author of the book we used, though this seems to be an updated version to the one we used. I prefer raised soil beds, but this straw bale style was quite enjoyable.

fillskills 7y ago

I am actively working on a startup to encourage gardening for all the mentioned benefits. If someone wants to chat about it please reach out. Email in profile.

imartin2k 7y ago

Oddly, I have never felt the allure of gardens, I don't have any plants myself, and if I'd have to choose between a city environment and nature, I'd in most cases choose the city (and not because of its parks). Both when I am happy and when I am sad. I like a good sunset but that's it. I'm clearly in a minority with this, it seems.

aloer 7y ago

I've had a theory for some time now based on my own observations: A big part of why nature is so calming is the absence of repeating patterns. In our artificial life everything follows standardized forms and patterns. It's a sterile world. The most obvious example being rectangles and perfect 90 degree angles everywhere. But I would also count things like uniform colors, evenly spread (artificial) light, predictable sounds etc. That makes me think that somehow something like this absence of patterns - and the knowledge/assumption for our brain that they are not to be expected in nature - helps us. The beauty in this is that nature _is_ full of patterns. But on a different level, no two patterns are ever the same. When you look at a green tree you simply won't assume to find two leaves with the same color and shape. That's the difference. Some years ago I got myself an empty canvas frame and put natural linen fabric (https://www.fabric.com/buy/ff-357/kaufman-antwerp-linen-natural https://www.fabric.com/buy/ff-357/kaufman-antwerp-linen-natu...) on it. No painting, just the linen. For the same reason: It's calming to look at Or maybe I'm just weird :)

blunte 7y ago
What you say regarding patterns is true compared to human-made thubgs, but I'm not sure that is what is the root attraction. For me it's the practically endless possibility that I will see or hear (or even smell) something new if I'm using my senses (instead of busy thinking about human problems). There's little difference betweey explanation and yours, but I selfishly think it's all about our experience.
- blunte 7y ago
  I have no idea what a "thubgs" is, but I suspect it's a garden. Phone typing is clearly an art that not all possess.
  - richardw 7y ago
    U next to I. B next to n. "Things" is my guess.
blotter_paper 7y ago

Causality1 7y ago

Given the author's observations, I would draw a different conclusion. I would conclude it isn't so much that gardens are good for you but that urban living, surrounding yourself with noise, strangers, glass, and concrete is bad for you.

padolsey 7y ago

Gardens and other natural spaces absolutely affect social and mental wellbeing. An interesting piece of research into the effects of greenery and nature on wellbeing was conducted back in 2001 by Ming Kuo and William Sullivan [0]. I love referencing it in discussions like these as it's a rather opportunistic experimental setting that might have otherwise never occurred, and gives us some pretty great data to recount when we only otherwise have anecdotes. In Chicago there was a set of high-rise public-housing buildings. The residents of these buildings had been assigned randomly by the public housing system. Attrition over time had left some buildings surrounded by only concrete and asphalt and others with pockets of green. Kuo and Sullivan were able to compare levels of aggression of 145 residents. They found higher levels of aggression and familial conflict recalled by those living less close to nature. They backed up this data by looking at similar low-rise developments [1]. Controlling for other factors, they compared crime rates of inhabitants who experienced less natural proximity to those with more. They found that roughly 7% of the variation in crime that couldn't be accounted for by other factors could be accounted for by the amount of trees. Ming Kuo has gone on to research the link between nature and school performance, one of her recent studies concluding that "greening has the potential to mitigate academic underachievement in high-poverty urban schools."[2] In another fascinating piece of research she has also found that "Children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after outdoor activities in lush environments."[3] Many of this research matches our collective anecdotes. We know that we are somehow hard-wired for nature. Yet we keep ourselves locked away in buildings for hours on end with little of it except corporate potted plants (often fake) and the odd photo or poster on the wall. To pile on with another opinion... I think there's something about 'wild' greenery that is distinctly effective versus manicured greenery. Its chaos and growth somehow synchronise with the minds' inherent nature. In an incredibly fundamental way, we are supposed to be amongst that wildness. [0] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/245234610_Aggression_and_Violence_in_the_Inner_City https://www.researchgate.net/publication/245234610_Aggressio... [1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249624302_Environment_and_Crime_in_the_Inner_City_Does_Vegetation_Reduce_Crime https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249624302_Environme... [2] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327876862_Might_School_Performance_Grow_on_Trees_Examining_the_Link_Between_Greenness_and_Academic_Achievement_in_Urban_High-Poverty_Schools https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327876862_Might_Sch... [3] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23192434_Children_With_Attention_Deficits_Concentrate_Better_After_Walk_in_the_Park https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23192434_Children_W...

hospitate 7y ago

Of all the plants, trees by far give me the most pleasure. A suburb with trees is a thousand times better than one without. The shade of a tree is completely transformative. It gives me a fuzzy warm feeling inside. It’s concerning to me that such an important aesthetic component is so transient and difficult to control. When you build a house, you control every aspect of its design. It’s materials are tough and long lasting. But the trees around the house are prone to dying. They get too old or they get sick or whatever. And when they do, you can’t really replace them. I’ve seen tons of houses where they had great atmosphere but then one of their large trees died and the feeling of the house is totally ruined. I’m not sure if you can order a grown tree and have it implanted but it’s probably really expensive. We need artificial trees that last longer and are easy to replace. Humans are drawn to vistas. Standing on the top of a hill and looking at the vista is something everyone agrees is beautiful and feels good. I think it might be because our ancestors were tree-dwelling monkeys. The higher in the tree you climb, the better the view, the safer you are from predators. If we are drawn to views then we would likely spend more time high up in the tree. Maybe that’s also why we find trees themselves so appealing. Ancient wiring.

voidmain0001 7y ago
I am fortunate to have a house on a larger plot of land considering it's in a dense urban environment, and on the land are very impressive trees such as an oak, a maple, a few birch, and a black cherry. Regrettably the birch are short lived, and while they still produce leaves they are getting weak and I will need to bring them down in a few years. The cherry still produces leaves and may even flower this year, but its wood is very brittle and it will probably come down this fall. It truly is sad as their loss will definitely impact why I moved into the house.

adreamingsoul 7y ago

I'm (hopefully) on the tail-end of dealing with mental health issues. I was dealing with burnout, depression, substance abuse, trauma, psychosis, and severe anxiety. Right about then I started this backyard project to create a chemical-free, sustainable, and diverse "forest garden". Currently, about two years later that Eco-system is starting to explode with more bugs, fungus, and birds. I found solitude, peace, and healing in the process of working with nature. I worked hard to revitalize the natural environment around me, and through that process I want to believe that nature found a way to heal me too. Also, I had a therapist and a supporting partner who helped me through the tough times. Anyways, I can't recommend enough getting your hands in the dirt, appreciating all forms of nature, and learning about the various Eco-systems that are needed for nature to thrive.