Positive Effects of Gardening on Health

A garden is simply defined as a small section of ground that is used for cultivation of various plants and crops. Gardens can include both planted and natural plants. Gardens are planned basically so as to fit the taste of the general population. In the prehistoric world, initial gardens were developed for simple practical reasons. People mainly cultivated vegetables and herbs. In places that were hot and semi-arid, wealthy people could rest in shades of trees that were planted in gardens. Wealthy people used to enclose gardens by walls with trees planted in rows. Sometimes the rich used to plant different species of trees like date palms, nut trees, and sycamores. Ancient people also planted willows, vineyard, as well as a wide variety of flowers and grasses for their lawns.

Gardening had been in existence in Egypt for a long time before the documented age. Gardens in Egypt were full of rectangular ponds as sometimes they stocked fish. Egyptians had a belief that gods loved gardens and so they created gardens in their places of worship a lot (Nollan 38). In Roman towns, wealthy and classy Romans built their residential houses around courtyards that contained pools and beds of flowers forming admirable gardens. The Romans are respected as they conquered Britain by the introducing new variety of plants and crops in their well-designed gardens. New plants and crops included roses, turnips, plums, and cabbages. After the Rome empire fell, gardening practices really decreased in Western Europe, the Roman church still practiced gardening by growing simple plants like herbs for the making of medicine (Finlay 37).

In 1800s societies were formed in order to educate people on gardening and its other factors. Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw learnt that when plants are enclosed under clear glass they start creating their particular climate. The Doctor noticed that drying daytime, plants underwent transpiration while during nighttime condensation happened on the glass and water fell onto the soil of the same plants. A lot of new species of plants were discovered in the 19th century (Clatworthy 39). The monkey puzzle was discovered during this period of time. It was in 1830 where Edwin Beard Budding designed the lawn mower. During the 19th century, gardens built big greenhouses that encouraged quality and mass production of crops. It was in the 19th century that trimming and bedding became popular in gardens. New styles and designs evolved during this era as the middle class also started practicing gardening. Rock gardening was popular during this time.

Gardening has a very critical and important history that can be related to. John Claudius Loudon was the most famous gardener in the 19th century as he started publishing groups about gardening which laid a clear illustration of gardening to the public. It was at the start of the 20th century where many gardeners were influenced by unique arts and craft association. flowers of the art and craft association kept preaching that industrial revolution and mass production of crops and plants had declined. With the remarks from the movement, individual craftsmen rose as gardeners started becoming creative in designing gardens of their own shape and size. According to Pollan, modernism has led to the development of new and more sophisticated methods of architecture (Pollan 27). Modernists highly rejected they style of copying old methods of building gardens. Modernism came up with modern and new materials. Gardeners of this time liked their garden to be organized and look attractive in style.

In the year 1926, Andreas Stihl came up with the development of the chainsaw whereas in 1963 first sale of hower mover was announced. Societies like the Garden History Society and the Museum of Garden History were formed in 1965 and 1977 respectively (Rupprecht 105). Gardening continuously became a hobby in the 20th century and it was in the 21st century as income of every population rose that almost everyone in each home started practicing it. Till Today, the field of gardening continuous to grow worldwide. There are already new and modern technics working to improve production and increasing satisfaction in the sector ( Pollan, 38).

In the current world, gardens have different styles that depend on the mentality and cultural beliefs of the gardener. Styles like formal, informal, free and wild are the most common in the 21st century. Formal gardens rely mostly on geometrical shapes like triangles and rectangles. Formal style usually concentrates on green plants that are leafy instead of simple flowers. Backyards and lawns are mostly filled with this type of style. Ideas of formal designs are planned critically on sheets of paper so as the gardens appear in the accurate shape of the designated lawn. Hedges and topiary are trimmed nicely as trees are sometimes selected as singular features. There are various types of formal gardens like the French garden, Italian garden, Islamic gardens, Mughal garden, and the American garden (Fitzgerald 108).

Islamic gardens are built on the idea and basis of heaven. They are very formal and their design is highly symmetrical. Islamic gardens have a very beautiful architectural form and filled with cypress as a sign of eternal life. Mughal gardens are sited close to hill slopes, their gardens have tall gates, they also have running water and terminal buildings. Another type of garden is the French garden which is formal in perfection. Italian gardens slightly look the Mughal garden but they are filled with sculptures, boxes, trellis, and arbors.

The informal garden style is the opposite of a formal garden as this type of style is natural (Rupprecht et al. 45). Gardeners mostly like informal gardens as they are relaxed and the development can happen as time grows. Informal gardens are the most popular garden, they are less strict and have a symmetrical design. The main objective of informal gardens to capture scenery as land is barely level and their edges are untrimmed. There are types of informal gardens like the English garden, Japanese garden, and Chinese garden. English gardens have a characteristic grassland, they have unique features like rocks, lawns, and herbaceous borders. English gardening is majorly a hobby in England for the rich (Fitzgerald 82). Japanese gardens are built in a way that fresh air is able to isolate for the main purpose of resting and relaxation. Japanese gardens have bridges, stones, fences, gates, and islands.

There are different types of plants used for gardening by different people. Plants that are in Japanese gardens are mainly shrubs, evergreen, climbers, bulbous and annuals. Another style of garden is the free and wild gardening where gardeners try to manage the aspect of formal and informal types of gardening. Wild and free gardens have parts of the gardens patched up with particular paths where gardens can maneuver with ease. Wild style gardening has no laws to follow when practicing gardening. The main purpose of wild style gardening is for beauty purposes. On the other hand, freestyle gardening is a complete cover of formal and informal gardening styles so as to secure a picturesque effect. There exist other types of gardens like sustenance whereby the gardens are attached together with monasteries planted with vegetables for consumption. Roses, violets, and carnation are the major type of plants that are planted in a sustenance garden. Different types of garden flourish at their peak season when the environment and the weather is conducive for growth and development. It is also at this time when the cost of gardening is high for most of the people.

Gardening has a psychological and environmental perspective. Most of the gardening that happen all over the world comes from ideas created in the mind and that are related to personality traits and thought processes of individuals (Gross 23). Gardens are spread all over the world and it has been proven to be a good practice as they have a lot of benefits. A research was performed and the results show at least forty percent of the population practice gardening. First and foremost, people garden because gardening is a healthy activity as it improves the mind, soul, and body (Clatworthy et al. 217). Gardening is considered a perfect form of exercising. The obvious benefit of gardening is weight loss but besides this, gardening reduces pressure, cholesterol, and depression. Studies prove that by just looking at simple plants in a garden several changes occur in the body. Heart activity, muscle tension, and brain activity are the common changes that occur in the human body. People with such conditions mainly practice gardening as they slowly undergo free therapy for the body. Gardening has also positive impacts on the environment.

The world has really gone green by following simple practices of gardening. Plants and crops are actual cleaners of the air. Plants and crops absorb carbon dioxide and other air impurities and in turn release clean air and fragrance. Also, plants and crops hold the soil with these they reduce erosion and keep help greatly in mulching (Kiesling and Manning). World organizations have greatly encouraged people to practice gardening so that the planet’s environment continues to be sustainable. As people build gardens for positive environmental gains, they also enjoy personal harvesting of water when it rains. Not only do gardeners enjoy harvesting of water, but they also benefit cool homes during the summer and warmth during the winter as gardens maintain a cool landscape. According to the Clean Air Council people garden to save up on energy costs as research shows garden planters have a reduced energy cost of up to 20%.

In addition, people practice gardening to escalate the property value. Gardens are considered a great investment plan for the upcoming future. A properly designed piece of land can highly add an appeal to a small owned house and permanently escalate overall property value. Monetary value is added slightly but besides this people can sell their houses so fast as compared to an ordinary home. Gardens in a home market the home in a good way where the seller does not struggle searching for the right buyer. Not only have real estate investors ran into gardening but also surveyors have joined the activity in search for the increase of their profits. Financial updates show that gardening has been a source of income for a lot of people as some plant vegetables and other crops in gardens for the purpose of selling.

Since greenhouses were invented, people have utilized the opportunity by making it a platform for them to make money. People plant and grow crops on large scale and sell them at great profits. Last but not least people practice gardening for self-satisfaction. Gardening Is recently becoming an art whereby people practice the activity for personal fulfillment. The art of planning, designing and watching peoples garden grow fills up people with great pride as they fill really satisfied (Durham 59). As mentioned above, gardening in the 21st century has really become a lifetime full hobby. The more people learn about the art of gardening the more they become legends at the beautiful art. Research has shown that the rest of the population that does not practice gardening enjoys the piece of art as they use a lot of gardens for relaxation.

Planned and beautiful gardens take a lot of time, money and special maintenance. Having a good plan helps a lot in cutting a lot of risks. Having planned thoughts and strategy before creating unified areas for gardens can lead to years of benefits on gardens. Before starting a garden people should consider factors like sunlight, drainage, ease of access to water and shade. The actual balance between vegetables, shrubs, and flowers should be outlined clearly as checking on the landscape is very vital. Planning any garden needs a clear consideration of other certain aspects like the availability of space, water, maintenance cost and the size of the intended location (Nollan 61). However, there are factors that should be checked in detail before designing any garden.

The process of gardening and forming of a garden is quite simple but rigorous. First, people should start with a well-defined drawing like a map. Before a person decides to know the type of garden to own, they first require to figure out the piece of land in place. Drawing a clearly detailed map according to the piece of land in existence ensures no mistakes at all. Maps can be formal or casual but the more detailed it is, the higher the accuracy the garden plan will be. The map should include water sources, transport and clear landscape of land (Nollan 68). After mapping out the piece of land, people should focus on the design of the garden they want. The garden should be designed around a particular theme. The theme entails the plants to grow in a garden. Various things need to be considered in the picking of plants. The budget, compatibility, and size all should come into play in garden designing.

In the choosing of shrubs, crops, and trees people should consider the height and level of maturity. Sapling takes less room than all full grown shrubs and trees. Trees and shrubs need adequate resources and plenty of space as they can be a huge destruction in houses and side paths when planted very close. Large trees can also shed crops and plants so it is very important to check the specific location and magnitude of the entire plan. Another factor to consider is the texture, color, and form of several plants that are to be planted in the garden. Hiding smaller plants behind bigger makes bigger plants appear in the footage (Durham, 87). Using garden hoses or borders to mark paths of flowerbed and lawns is advisable as it makes the garden well defined.

People should start by sketching and measuring the space on graph papers or on various software’s available for the design of the gardens. Marking where there exist shady and highly sunny spots should also be considered. Marking out is important as it helps in knowing the exact room people have when it comes to planting. Before planting, there comes preparation. Preparation is important because it creates well-defined beds for the organizing of plants. First, there should be digging out of weeds then the soil should be tilled correctly (Rupprecht 51). Any amendments should be added as the soil requires some of them. Applying other amendments adds some dose of compost. Preparing the soil properly saves a lot of time in the future. The last test in the planning of any garden Is to settle on it.