Over the past 12 months I’ve had the opportunity to do something I truly love…learn, just for the sake of it. While we all know that lifelong learning is a valuable way to stay cognitively alert, help us stay socially active and it’s just plain fun, as I write this it sounds self- indulgent.
Nevertheless when an invitation came to spend a year learning about any topic I wanted, I jumped at it.
After some consideration I finally landed on horticulture.
The Plant Project
The Plant Project, the name I’ve given to this period, has taught me so much more than the technical and practical aspects of horticulture. I soon discovered this is not gardening but getting really deep on topics like plant identification, plant nutrition, weed and pest control , soil improvements, irrigation and more.
There are numerous sub genres of horticulture and an area of growing research is based on Horticultural Therapy. This is the practice of using gardens, plants, movement and activity to relieve both physical and mental symptoms. Research suggests it’s helpful for managing mood disorders and mental illness, and can also be designed to help improve balance, strength, and work skills. 1
I’m sure we’re all aware of how moderate intensity activity can reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, gaining weight etc. The benefits of physical activity associated with gardening are well documented.
It’s been shown that you can expect to burn calories, depending on your age and weight, with just one hour of gardening:
- Heavy landscaping: 400-600 calories per hour
- Raking the leaves: 350-450 calories per hour
- Clearing the garden: 400 calories per hour
- Mowing the lawn: 250-350 calories per hour
- Weeding: 200-400 calories per hour
- Planting flowers: 200-400 calories per hour
- Watering: 120 calories per hour
These physical benefits extend further as gardening can also reduce stress and provide mental clarity. Consider the sense of satisfaction from growing produce, even a small plot of herbs, can be gratifying.
But it is also a proven stress reliever, as shown by a study comparing two stress relieving activities- gardening and reading. Those that gardened experienced a more significant decrease in stress when compared to the subjects that were assigned to read. 3
A systematic umbrella review of evidence supporting the relationship between physical activity and the prevention of mental health complications found a particularly strong association between low and moderate physical activity, including gardening. It found that physical activity reduced the risk of depression by 23% and anxiety by 26%. 4
A 2017 meta-analysis "provided robust evidence for the positive effects of gardening on health,". Overall, the results suggest that participating in gardening activities has a significant positive impact on health. As the authors concluded: "The positive association with gardening was observed for a wide range of health outcomes, such as reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms, stress, mood disturbance, and BMI, as well as increases in quality of life, sense of community, physical activity levels, and cognitive function." 5
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
moderate-intensity level activity such as gardening,
for 2.5 hours each week can reduce the risk for obesity,
high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis,
heart disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer and premature death.
Additionally, those that choose gardening as
their moderate-intensity exercise are more likely to
exercise 40-50 minutes longer on average than
those that choose activities like walking or biking. 6
As I have a keen interest in advocating for creative and social prescribing, finding these intersections has become paramount in considering how to maximise the learnings from this year.
Creativity and Natural Settings: In my earlier work I was fascinated by the intersection of nature, outdoors and creativity, so it’s worth mentioning the added value gained with horticulture in mind.
Go to https://www.thecreativecatalyst.com.au/blog/covid-creativity-and-nature
Notes:
1. Horticultural therapy uses nature to help heal by Lisa Jo Rudy. https://www.treehugger.com/horticultural-therapy-overview-and-impact-5192780. Research at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7037774/
2. What an hour of gardening does to your body, Melissa Breyer. https://www.treehugger.com/gardening-health-benefits-7559044?hid=843357401c897466efd513aaef5708979cd59634&did=9672644-20230714&lctg=843357401c897466efd513aaef5708979cd59634#citation-6. Research at WebMD Every day Calorie Burners , https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/calorie-burners
3. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_the_physical_and_mental_benefits_of_gardening
4. https://www.thrive.org.uk/get-gardening/why-gardening-is-good-for-your-mental-health?gad_source=1#
5.Masashi Soga, Kevin J. Gaston, Yuichi Yamaura, Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis, Preventive Medicine Reports, Volume 5, 2017, Pages 92-99, ISSN 2211-3355
6. What are the physical and mental benefits of gardening? Julie Darnton et al Michigan State University Extension , 2014. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what_are_the_physical_and_mental_benefits_of_gardening