Grow Your Life – A Lifestyle Blog by Tara Mackey

I’ve always longed for a garden. I have feebly attempted window gardens in all of the apartments I’ve lived in ( for almost a decade now! Eesh!) It feels good to finally have a yard and my own house! What an immense blessing!

I used my old bathroom tiles as repurposed and recycled materials for my walkway

I planted my own fence

made another walkway to the hose!

dug and redug (and redug and redug and redug!) my lawn of weeds

until it was ready for planting!

I use 100% organic soil and potting practices

and am compiling a compost pile ( anything from eggs shells, to pomegranate husks, to herbs to leftovers) on the side of my house which I use for my fruits, veggies and flowers to promote growth and wellness!

Horticultural therapy is about using plants and the natural world to promote healing. Using horticulture as therapy, I build upon the unique connection between myself and my plants.

I get to seek them out as seeds, purchase them, plant them in organic soil, water and cultivate them, watch them grow, and then plant them in my garden bed!! From there I get to see what promotes and exhibits their growth, and what tastes best for me personally! Keeping a close eye, watching them grow up, and now, getting to the point where they feed me, has been nothing less than immensely rewarding!

What was important to me, having the blessing of a house and a front yard, was to build a meditative space that I could spend time in, do yoga, have breakfast, invite company, and that I could take care of. I take these peaceful feelings and translate them into practical ideas of how I would like to see a personal garden aimed totally at relaxation.

The proven benefits of Horticulture Therapy have been immense. I feel fully that it supports emotional and physical healing by promoting happiness, peace and gratification. It is also helpful for relieving stress, and assisting in the general wellbeing for those suffering from physical disabilities. Little did I know that the act of doing this work ITSELF promotes the healing process!

Gardening can provide meaningful work, not busy work, for people seeking self-work for long-term care. It provides an opportunity to make decisions, develop cognitive skills, and become responsible for your own wellness. The sensory stimulation in a garden may slow the effects of dementia, stimulate memory and assist in coping with chronic conditions.

As someone who used to think that a bunch of medication and a dark room in a basement was my solution to good health, I cannot speak enough for this kind of therapy. Mental health can be nurtured by giving people a sense of hands-on purpose in a community in which their contributions are valued. This is the opposite of the conventional mental health model, where patients are often treated with little more than medication and end up in their own isolated corner of the universe with little to do. With plant based therapy, they are immediately and continuously engaged in a world of organic beings that need their care.