• Blog,  Monday Moments

    Gardens and the Five Senses

    The greatest give of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.

    Our five senses – sight, smell, sound, taste, touch.

    In researching flowers that would invoke all five senses, I discovered one such plant that fits the criteria – LAVENDER.  

    Lavender has many benefits.  

    • It acts as a bug repellant. 
    • It helps with insomnia.  
    • It soothes the nervous system.
    • It aids in skin conditions.
    • It protects the immune system.
    • It promotes circulation. 
    • It aids digestion.
    • It is used for pain relief.
    • It aids diabetes treatment.
    • It promotes healthy hair.

    There are many reasons to grow lavender.

    • Sight – It is a beautiful perennial shrub.  It is easy to grow.  It is just a beautiful plant to look at.  
    • Smell – It has lovely scented foliage and flowers.  Its scent is calming and relaxing.  It can be used in bath and body products.  
    • Sound – Bees love it (and it also attracts butterflies).  
    • Taste – It is delicious in sweet and savory foods.  It can be infused in honey and sugar.  It can be made into jams and jellies.  It can be added to tea and lemonade.  It can be made into syrup.  
    • Touch – Is soft to the touch.  It is great to use in craft products.  

    Lavender is often used in sensory gardens that stimulate the five senses.  Lavender is also used in memory support gardens as residents can usually identify the plant and its aromatic scent. 

    My favorite quality of lavender is its ability to have positive effects on mood, stress anxiety, and depression.  Its calming and soothing aroma can relax the nerves and provide relief from emotional stress.  Lavender can provide a much-needed pick me up.  

    I have never grown lavender.  After reading about its benefits I decided maybe I should give it a try.  So I went out and bought four plants this past week!

    Lavender

    I hear lavender is deer and rabbit resistant (I’m hoping that is true as the rabbits have eaten my hostas). 

    Black-tail doe 2020
    Black-tail doe and twins 2020
    One of our new families.
    Black-tail fawn 2020
    Rabbit 2020

     I’ll let you know how my lavender garden grows! 

    Walking through my lavender garden. Time sets, and pardons. Life softens, and unhardens. Blue cascading, rivers flow. Flowers blossom and grow. Birds sing love songs, whispering soft, and low. Where dreams live, and suns set slow. And awaken, in the nights glow.
    2020 Week #26

  • Blog,  Saturday - Inspirational Quotes

    Summer Solstice

    I love how summer just wraps its arms around you like a warm blanket.

    Summer Solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year and the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.  It is at this time that the sun is at its most northerly point in Earth’s sky. 

    A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows.

    The word solstice comes from the Latin words sol “SUN” and stitium “STANDING”.  On the summer solstice the “sun stands still”.  As the days lengthen and the sun’s path stops advancing northward, for several days before and after each solstice, the sun appears to “stand” still in the sky.  

    Be like a flower, turn your face to the sun.

    Summer solstice symbolizes rebirth and the return of light.  It is a time of renewal, a time for happiness, and a time for hope.  

    Happy First Day of Summer!

    2020 Week #25

  • Blog,  Monday Moments

    Flowers are Happy Things

    Flowers are happy things.

    A team of researchers explored the link between flowers and life satisfaction.  During a 10-month period they studied participants’ behavioral and emotional responses to receiving flowers.  The study revealed that flowers are a natural and healthful moderator of moods. 

    The three key findings of the study are: 

    1. Flowers have an immediate impact on happiness. All study participants’ expressed “true” or “excited” smiles upon receiving flowers, demonstrating extraordinary delight and gratitude. This reaction was universal, occurring in all age groups.
    2. Flowers have a long-term positive effect on moods. Specifically, study participants reported feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers, and demonstrated a higher sense of enjoyment and life satisfaction.
    3. Flowers make intimate connections. The presence of flowers led to increased contact with family and friends.
    Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy. Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being.

    The study also explored where in their homes people display flowers. The arrangements were placed in areas of the home that are open to visitors — such as foyers, living rooms, and dining rooms — suggesting flowers are a symbol for sharing.

    Flowers bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room. They make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.

    As the research shows, flowers are a really simple way to improve emotional health. The presence of flowers triggers in us happy emotions, heightens our feelings of life satisfaction, and affects our social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.

    To me, flowers are happiness.
    2020 Week #25