RESTORATIVE ELEMENTS “A well-designed and attractive urban environment can have a stress-reducing and mood enhancing power equal to that of a natural environment” according to researchers Karamanov and Hamel at the University of Wageningen, Netherlands (2008). The features identified in the study include visible water, green spaces, intricate spatial layouts and landmarks. Incorporating these elements into urban settings and our own gardens will help to create the restorative settings we expect from nature. Welldesigned gardens offer us the opportunity to address our specific needs, as well as to create tranquil settings we can all enjoy WINTER CARE Many of the plants that we bring indoors for the winter need a little T.L.C. during their indoor stay. Refresh the plants by placing the pot in the shower or tub and run cool water to remove dust and quench the plants thirst. Add some additional soil, if necessary and a little fertilizer. This treatment applies for our regular ‘house plants’, too. OUTDOOR ROOM Winter is a good time of year to take a good look at your garden. Your home can be more inviting when you start to think of your garden as another room of your house. The garden is a room that can be enjoyed whether you are inside or outside the house. PLOUGH MONDAY The first Monday after the Epiphany, January 6th, is called Plough Monday. This is traditionally the day that farmers returned to their ploughs and men in general returned to work after the Christmas Holiday. This January 11th be sure to thank the farmers as you head off to your own work. LENTEN ROSES If you are looking for early color in your garden, consider planting Lenten Rose (Hellebore). They bloom in the winter through early spring. They get their name because they bloom around the season of Lent. These are a shade loving evergreen perennial with a wide range of colors from pink, yellow, red to purple. They are also deer resistant. TREE CARE Winter is a good time to assess the structure of your shade trees. It is best to prune the trees while they are dormant to minimize sap flow from wounds. Prune branches if they have grown up on a structure or interfere with the line of sight of a street or driveway. Never top trees because it can damage the structure and possibly starve the tree to death. It is best to hire a certified tree arborist to help evaluate the condition and care of your trees and to prune trees that are 20 feet high or taller. MORE VARIETIES The Old Farmer’s Almanac indicates that there has been a 20% increase in sales at seed companies. This is another indicator that more people are growing their own vegetables and other plants. This is a good time of year to peruse the catalogues to look for new plants to try in the garden this year. A growing trend is to raise heirloom plants that offer more flavor and variety. Try green tomatoes, such as Aunt Ruby’s German Cherry or Emerald Evergreen. Growing purple tomatoes will definitely create interest. In fact, these heirloom plants should be planted in prime locations because they are decorative as well as tasty. Rattlesnake Pole Beans are decorative green pods with purple streaks. Pandora Striped Rose Eggplants have a lovely rose color, a good yield and are delicious, as well. Explore the catalogues, such as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. “A garden is a friend you can visit anytime” -Anonymous STORIES Do you have a story to tell about your garden? Please let us know how you or others are enjoying your garden. It is great to share these stories and maybe learn some new ideas from other fans of nature. A Happy New Year!
Good news! We made it through the shortest day of the year, yesterday, December 21st. This day marks the midpoint of the year, which occurred at 5:47 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time (12:47 Eastern Standard Time). The Winter Solstice has the least amount of sunlight and the longest night during the year. In all actuality, the sun’s rise will continue to occur later through the month of January, while sunsets will occur later in the evening. This all seems to balance out as the amount of day light each day begins to lengthen. This demarcation of the middle of winter was very important for our ancestors who had to meter out their food to survive the long winters. Feasts and celebrations were held during this time as a way of marking the event. Religious holidays occur at this time of year. This time of year is also symbolic as the start of a new year and the hopes for good things to come. Midwinter also affects us individually. The shorter days mean that our bodies produce more melatonin, which offsets our circadian rhythms. We want to sleep longer during these winter months. Exposure to sunlight is one of the best and most effective ways to help balance our circadian rhythms. Taking a walk during the day may be one of the best way to help balance our bodies natural cycles. So, make a resolution to walk more. Find a friend to walk with. The companionship and socialization will help spur you on. Walking is the easiest and least costly form of exercise that we can do, at any age. Dr. Weil has information on what to consider when setting out for a walk. Visit the “Ask Dr. Weil” Tip of the Day at the website: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03545/Healthy-Habits-Walking.html Enjoy!
The weather certainly has a way of reminding us how we are hard wired to nature. Stopping at a food store on Friday to pick up loaf of French bread for dinner, I thought I had run into an unannounced special sale. There were literally no parking spaces. I had to wind my way to the outer reaches of this typically unused section of the parking lot to find the last parking space. Once inside the store, it finally dawned on me. There was a forecast of snow the next day and everyone was in the store to buy milk, eggs and bread! It was as if people were afraid that they may not have enough food to last 48 hours. This has to be another lesson from the work of Edward O. Wilson, who wrote about our connection with nature. The fear of being in our homes with nothing to eat scares people into running to the stores. The result is that we all seem to survive. We may even have to get creative and dig into the back of the pantry shelves for that mystery ingredient that we only seem to use in times of climatic despair. This reinforces the belief that we are affected by nature and that we react in ways that are similar to our ancestors, storing up for winter hibernation. And, on a related side note, be sure to check in on neighbors who may be in need of some T.L.C. Maybe they could use their walk shoveled or someone to visit when they cannot get outside. Maybe you can bring them some of the bread or eggs you purchased at the store. A home baked cake or cookies would gos long way, too! This is especially important for older adults. As the winter months tends to keep us indoors more and not out working in our garden, we lose contact with people. The snow should be a reminder to check on those neighbors who are in need. So, if you are out buying things before the next storm, remember to pick up a little extra for those who may be house bound. Time to make snow angels!
Taking a walk in nature can help improve a persons short term memory. We know that nature can help reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Well, being exposed to natural settings can help to ‘restore’ our ability to concentrate and reflect. A recent research study, “The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature” by Berman, Jonides & Kaplan (Association for Psychological Science, Vol. 19 – No. 12, 2008), indicates that natural areas are restorative. When we are emersed in a natural area, such as a park, the woods, on the beach or similiar places, we can get lost in our surroundings. We do not have to look both ways before crossing the street or if a car is coming in our direction. Our senses focus on the sound of the babbling brook or the birds singing in the trees. The feeling of a cool breeze on our face or the warmth of the sunlight on our back can help us to forget about lifes demands. Spending time in a natural environment will positively affect our memory and attention. The concept of ‘attention restoration theory’ offers the idea that natural settings can help us to be able to relax. When our stress levels are reduced, we can concentrate better and our memory improves. This is especially important if we removed from contact with nature. Taking advantage of a neighborhood park or other natural settings is good for our health and well being.
I know that the winter season is fast approaching. The days and nights are getting colder and Thanksgiving is upon us. However, I am already longing for the opportunity to get my hands back into the soil. Spring will not come soon enough. There are still opportunities for remaining active and keeping the garden tools in operation. We just have to be a little more creative. For example, I picked up some basil plants in the food store this past weekend. I have some unused pots in the garage that were looking for something to do and quickly filled two containers with lush basil plants. I had also taken coleus cuttings a few weeks back. I let them sit in a glass of water for a month to develop new roots. They were ready to be planted in pots this past weekend, also. So, be creative. Look around in stores for plants that need a good home. Some food stores have small herbs that need a good home. And garden centers have plants that you can adopt into your family. Look for ones that can produce addition plants for the next growing season, such as herbs and annuals. Your window sill or sunlit tables will do nicely. It is a way to keep our interests and passions alive during the winter months and a way to get plants started for next year. Hopefully, spring will be here soon!
We have just turned the clocks back and gained an extra hour. (Where does that extra hour go?) However, the day light is less and less every day. And it is darker earlier in the evenings now. This can mean that our bodies are not getting as much of the light that we need. WE may be spending more time inside, also because it is getting colder and we do not get to spend as much time outside. So, what do we do. If you’re on the hunt for fun and interesting “cbd stores” explore our website. Well, we need to make the extra effort to still spend time outside in the sunlight. Take a walk at lunch or make a few extra trips to the mail box. Park farther away from the entrance to the store so you will have to walk a little longer. Find a friend who will encourage you to walk on a regular basis. Listen to some tunes or pod casts on your MP3 player. (Car Talk always makes the walk more fun.) And – there are always things to do in the garden – fill the bird feeders, pick up branches, rake leaves, etc. The lack of sunlight can lead to depression, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia and weight gain. One of the best ways to combat this is to go outside and do it often to fight off the ‘winter blues’. Do not take for granted that we can spend time outside tomorrow. Do it today! Get out and balance those circadian rythmns. Enjoy!
One of the ways to extend the summer season is to take cuttings of the annuals in your garden. Look around the garden and see what plants are doing good. One of the favorites to use for cuttings are Coleus because they are very easy to root. They are great for use as indoor plants because they are multi-colored and have a range of leaf shapes. This is a great activity for a horticultural therapist, activity professional or others working with older adults looking for a fall project that can last throughout the winter months. Be sure to take the cuttings from smaller stems and be sure to do it before the first frost. (They are considered a tender perennial, however, they are treated mostly as an annual). An easy way to get the plants to establish a root system is to place the cuttings in water and be sure to change the water frequently. Once they have set out roots, the Coleus cuttings can be transferred to a pot. It would be good to plant one per pot, so they have a chance to grow full and balanced. Plant them in a light weight, sterilized, quick drainning potting soil mixture. (Decorating pots can be another activty). Be sure to place the newly potted plants in a south facing window sill. Keep the soil moist and be sure to not let it get soggy. A little liquid fertilizer once a month can be helpful (be sure to follow direction carefully and not over fertilize). These plants will be great for starting new plants for your garden next season. So, get your garden clippers and get started!
The article “Quick and Not So Dirty: No-Sweat Composters” by Gwendolyn Bounds in today’s Wall Street Journal offers a number of interesting options for composting. The articles author describes and ‘test drives’ a few of the various of indoor and outside composters currently available. The market place is catching up to public interest and creating models that appeal to a variety of needs. Ms. Bounds has a great video that accompanies the article (worth watching!) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704107204574471330808326984.html?mod=djemLifeStyleh This growing interest in composting definitely applies to senior living communities. I have talked with the residents of a various senior communities who are taking up the charge and developing compost programs. Heron Point, a continue care retirement community in Chestertown, MD, has implemented a compost program and it is resident led. Compost bins have been set up in the independent living residential courts, so they are accessible and convenient. All of the compost that is created is used in the community vegetable garden. One of the other goals of the residents is to reduce the amount of compostable food waste collected from the dining service kitchen. So, the vegetable food scraps will be collected and added to a general compost bin for use in the community garden, also.
Various programs are are being developed to help Veterans connect with nature. A program in the United Kingdom, “‘Gardening Leave”, utilizes nature as a vehicle for various therapeutic modalities. The gardens that have been created provide structure, routine and exercise for former military persons. The Gardening Leave web site indicates that “using the ethos of horticultural therapy, veterans will benefit from improving their social skills by engaging them in conversation and improve their personal skills such as appearance, health and fitness” – www.gardeningleave.org In the US, the VA Hospitals have been utilizing the benefits of horticultural therapy through a variety of programs. There are green houses where veterans can participate in activities. Raised planters allow many of the veterans with disabilities to participate in a wide range of garden related events. Some VA Hospitals have plant nurseries where the Veterans can grow many of the plants that are installed within the community. Horticultural Therapists have been developing these and other horticulture programs that provide healing for the Veterans and their family members. Programs include activities for Veterans with Alzheimer’s disease, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), and other illnesses. The horticulture programs are used to help those individuals who are in need of job training or who may be homeless. There is a great need to focus more attention on this subject in order to increase the number of programs in VA communities.
We keep reading more and more about how important sunshine is for our health. Low levels of vitamin D double the risk of a heart attack and stroke. Low levels of the sunshine vitamin can increase the chance of developing high blood pressure and chronic blood vessel inflammation. As many as 75% of Americans may not be getting enough vitamin D for optimal health. People who are 50 years or older are more susceptible to this deficiency. Vitamin D is found in foods, such as sardines, salmon, fortified milk and cereals. Another solution is to sit in the sun for a short time. Some doctors are recommending 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure a few times a week, depending upon a persons skin pigmentation. A Harvard study discovered that men with the highest level of vitamin D were least likely to have heart attacks. Another study has found that increasing Vitamin D reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, hip fractures, tooth loss and increases muscle strength. A good way to help increase levels of vitamin D is to spend time in the garden. A Therapeutic Garden that has been specifically designed to encourage people to spend time outside will help people increase their levels of vitamin D. These gardens can encourage socialization and people will want to be outside enjoying each others company and taking in the suns healing rays. This is especially important for older adults who may have lower levels of this important vitamin. Like your mother said – ‘Eat your vegetables and go play outside.’
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Design For Generations, LLC
Jack Carman F.A.S.L.A.
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jack@designforgenerations.com
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