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here’s been a lot going on in the world lately. Stress has built up. Anxiety and fear are weighing on us. Everyone has had a tough time and how do we even think about coping? Gardening can help. Getting outside – away from the stressors – is the easiest (and sometimes cheapest!) way to lose yourself in something positive. Rarely do folks get angry or stressed at plants. (Well, I do get angry at purslane…but mostly because it’s the hardest weed to pull…). The beauty of plants and a garden can instantly make you happy. Here’s some ways to reduce your anxiety and stress by heading to the garden: RIP OUT THE LANDSCAPE AND START OVER. Ok…fine. That might be a bit stress inducing for some folks but rip off that Band-Aid and give your house an outdoor makeover! If your landscape is more than 10-15 years old, it’s time for a change. Dive into a landscape do-over and you’ll occupy your time and your thoughts for quite some time dreaming of all the fun things you can plant to replace those 40-year-old stringy lilacs. Plus, ripping dead plants out of the ground can be therapeutic and great exercise!
PLANT A VEGETABLE GARDEN. It takes all summer to grow food crops which will keep your mind and body occupied. You can nurture the tiny little seedlings in the early spring. Coax them along in the summer. Harvest some early crops and have great, healthy salads. Then be rewarded with enough tomatoes and peppers to make your own salsa to enjoy in the winter! Vegetable gardening is about as rewarding as it gets. OFFER TO HELP AN ELDERLY OR DIFFERENTLY ABLED NEIGHBOR OR FRIEND IN THEIR YARD. Folks that have compromised immune systems may not have been able to leave the house in a while and the garden waits for no one. Even within a few weeks, the weeds can take over and become a large project for someone that may not have the ability to maintain it. Use your strength and resolve to help a friend out and you get the added bonus of spending time working in a garden and enjoying the sunshine.
Let us grow them into the garden of your dreams.
DROP BOUQUETS OF FRESH PICKED FLOWERS OR HARVESTED PRODUCE FROM YOUR GARDENS ON RANDOM DOORSTEPS. No human contact necessary. Attach a friendly note to let them know you are thinking about them and the recipient gets a day-brightening surprise! STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN CENTER. We’re open-aired and huge…plenty of room to roam and lots to see. Breath in the scent of flowering crabapples. Smell the fresh soil spilling out of the greenhouse as the staff plants up containers. Watch the pollinators thaw out and get busy with their jobs on all the spring flowering plants. Take a hike in the Nursery – wandering 140 wide-open acres will get your heart pumping and your steps in for the week! Our “house” is your “house” so you are always welcome to roam and take in the spring scenes. Bottom line is plants can always help reduce your anxiety and stress. Gardening can be a solo project or a family project if you are all home together. You can be outside in the fresh air and soaking up some sun and breathing in the sweet scents of spring which will help reduce your anxiety. And we are always here to chat – whether via text, phone, email, or face to face – about your gardening exploits. Talking to you also helps reduce OUR spring stress!
Meagan Provencher is the Sr. Landscape Designer at Wasco Nursery & Garden Center. She can be reached at 630-584-4424 or design@wasconursery.com Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
HOME & LIFESTYLE APRIL 2020
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3/19/20 11:56 AM