How Plants Make a Difference
How did you first start gardening? Did you help a grandparent plant flowers and vegetables? Did a neighbor give you plants from their yard? During COVID-19 quarantine, did you attempt gardening as a new hobby? At some place, at some time you were introduced to gardening and connected to plants.
You can make gardening meaningful for someone else. You can connect someone with information to improve their appreciation of plants and knowledge of gardening. In this section, you will explore the newest information on how we all benefit from plants.
The Benefits of Plants
Plants play an important role in our lives and communities.
As Master Gardener Volunteers we expand plant appreciation and its benefits. Plants can positively impact the places we live, work, and play with environmental, economic, and social benefits. Plants can also improve the minds and bodies of individuals in contact with them.
If you are an experienced gardener, you may already know how a good day in the garden can make you feel. Energized! Refreshed, and ready to take on the world (or, tired, if you were digging big holes). Being around plants can also help you feel centered, relaxed, and calm.
University research now documents how plants and gardening can impact our overall health. We can quantify how plants improve our communities by making them healthier, attracting people to business districts, and positively promoting interactions between neighbors. Plants can also improve the environment by cleaning the air, helping with storm water runoff, and promoting space for pollinators and wildlife.
The benefits of plants go beyond “pretty gardens” and affect our everyday lives. Plants increase our concentration and memory retention, improve mental health and mood, and reduce stress. Additionally, plants are known to raise environmental consciousness, create community and reduce crime in neighborhoods.
Read more!
The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture has gathered the latest research on the benefits of plants into easy to read infographics. Please take the time to review each of these.