The Benefits of Garden Plants

Garden plants provide beauty, food and enjoyment. They also teach children the importance of science, the environment and the process of growth. The dry seed in your hand may look small and unimportant, but pressed into the earth and given a bit of water and sunshine it will grow. A tiny green shoot will push out of its seed coat and search for plant food, water and sunlight. The resulting flowers or vegetables will provide a reward for the effort. In addition, gardening can improve mental health. A 2017 meta-analysis of 22 studies found that people who garden had significantly better self-esteem and lower levels of mood disturbance than people who didn’t garden. It’s an activity that almost anyone can participate in and benefit from.

Flower gardens can be a focal point in your yard or they can be simply a colorful collection of annuals and perennials. The colors and forms of the plants should blend or contrast, and many flowers have specific fragrances as well. Vegetable gardens are a good way to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Vegetables that produce heavily yet require little space include bush beans, tomatoes, summer squash, sweet corn, lettuce, radishes, and Swiss chard. These crops are best grown from seeds or transplants, but they can be direct sown in the spring and fall. Those that need a long growing season or take up a lot of room, such as potatoes, winter squash and pumpkins, can be direct sown in the fall or early spring but are often more successful when started indoors 8 weeks before planting outdoors.

In a water garden, trees and shrubs provide the structure, while annuals, perennials and biennials create the color. A water garden can be as simple as a fountain in the middle of a pond or it can be as complicated as an ornamental lake complete with a trellis pattern of wisteria that extends over the water. The water should be kept clear and aerated to support introduced fish or turtles.

Native plants are an increasing trend in gardeners’ choices, as they seek out varieties that grow naturally in their area’s climate and don’t need a lot of care. For example, a pond can be adorned with water lilies or a border of bearded iris. If you want to attract monarch butterflies, plant milkweed or wildflowers that will support their larvae.

In order to make a garden grow, the soil must contain three chief elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants absorb these minerals from the ground, and they’re usually available in the form of organic materials derived from decayed vegetation. Ideal garden soil is a clay and sand mixture that contains humus, the richest form of which can be made by heaping rotted plant material onto what’s called a compost pile. You can also buy humus at garden centers or online. Thorough watering is important, furnishing the plant with its moisture and allowing for aeration of the subsurface water, which supplies roots with oxygen.