“Therapeutic gardening has existed since early Egypt. At the beginning of the 1800s, Dr. Benjamin Rush recorded the therapeutic effects of working the garden. Following both World War I and II, veteran hospitals used gardening as therapy for returning soldiers. Even today, there are many gardening and farming programs for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We have known for a long time that gardening was good for you, but now have the research to back it up! And Chris says that more importantly, we can use this research when presenting our case to groups or organizations in support of the benefits of gardening, farming, and being in nature.”
“What may be required next is a shift in our time-strapped culture, where we have so much demanding our attention. Growing a plant forces our patience as we await the opening of a flower bud or ripening of a vegetable. During that time, we note observations of the soil, insects both good and bad, weather, and the habit of the plant as it moves through its lifecycle. Watching and culturing the life of another organism is powerful for any human being. A shift in our mindset toward nature positions the fields of horticulture, urban agriculture, landscape design, and landscape architecture as key career paths to promote the health and well-being of everyone in our community and not just those with the means to afford the graces of nature or a well-kept yard. ”
Read the FULL Article at “CJ-TC.com“
