Modern lifestyles are often busy and stressful but growing plants, whether indoors or outdoors, can not only be an antidote to today’s hectic lifestyles but also offers tangible physical and mental health benefits.

At a glance some of these benefits include:

· Mindfulness and a sense of purpose leading to less stress and anxiety.

· Emotional wellbeing through social interaction and time spent in nature.

· Improved nutrition (when growing edible plants).

· Physical activity leading to improved physical health.

Whether you tend a large yard, a community garden plot or keep a collection of indoor plants the mental health benefits include mindfulness as caring for plants promotes focus on the task at hand which in turn can reduce anxiety and even symptoms of depression. The mental activity involved in taking care of plants, routinely checking on their health and needs as well as any research this involves also stimulates cognitive function and can also create a sense of purpose and in turn, happiness.

Plants and gardening are also hobbies that promote social interaction and connection. Gardening clubs, community gardens and online groups and forums are all places where like-minded plant enthusiasts can get together and share their interests. For those growing houseplants there are societies that specialize in particular groups of houseplants – orchids being a prime example – and membership of such organizations is a way to get to know other enthusiasts in your area while learning more, sharing tips and sometimes even plants.

Growing plants both indoors and outdoors can also improve physical health through nutrition if edible plants are cultivated. While outdoor gardening allows for the largest range of fruit and vegetables to be grown, even just a bright window indoors or the use of a grow light will permit herbs such as basil and parsley to be grown and for the adventurous tropical fruits such as citrus and figs are possible. Microgreens are also a way to improve nutrition when growing space is limited and beyond the satisfaction of growing your own food there is also the knowledge that these foodstuffs will have been grown organically and are fresh when prepared.

Being able to cultivate plants outdoors brings some additional advantages to those listed above. Being outdoors, able to see, hear, smell and touch nature around you has great mental and physical health benefits. Vitamin D from sunlight is not only essential to help

bone development but also is a great mood booster. Just remember to balance this with use of sunscreen – protection from sunburn will still allow for the benefit of being outside. The physical tasks that gardening involves – digging, mowing, planting and tending, raking leaves all get us to use muscles that our sedentary lives don’t. Plus, if you are like me, you get to exercise with a purpose which is more of a motivator than something just being good for me.

Growing plants is a way for us to connect with the natural world and to find the means to recharge our minds and spirits while giving our bodies some beneficial movement. If you wish to explore this rewarding hobby for yourself, consider these activities:

Try growing some easy-care herbs or veggies indoors; or Try a couple of beginner-friendly houseplants such as snake plants, pothos, peperomia, cacti and succulents; or Try growing some annuals or vegetables in containers if you have some outdoor space, either from seeds or starter plants.