Happiness - The Gardening of the Soul

Copyright © 2005 Julian Kalmar
"Happiness actions" are the physical and mental actions that naturally and automatically create a sense of well-being in us. They work because there is a certain something within us—our internal wiring—that responds to these actions. Although there is some variation between people, many happiness actions are shared with just about everyone. For example, most people will feel good after doing physical exercise. Likewise, the mental activity of learning a new skill can be tremendously gratifying. The most powerful happiness actions involve both mental and physical activities, and have astounding personal effects. Gardening is an excellent example. Providing it’s not overly strenuous, quietly tending a garden can create an enormous sense of tranquility. You get in touch with the soil and plants, and most importantly, your own thoughts. To get your hands in good soil, quickly puts you in communion with nature. There is nothing like filling a pot with soil, and patting it down with your hands. Making a little hole, putting a seed in it, and covering it over, brings an excited sense of anticipation. The magic of a little water and some time brings forth new life in a way that never gets old. Every day thereafter, there are visible changes in your little plant that are captivating. With a larger garden, there is even greater involvement. You quickly become part of the soil and plants. All your stresses melt away, and you lose yourself in the quietude of the experience. (When was the last time you got so carried away?) Suddenly you’ll completely lose awareness of your problems with family, work, or the economy. Your biggest concern becomes, finding the critter responsible for eating the leaves of your tomato plant. Getting lost in “bug hunting” takes you back to earlier days when you were completely in touch with your real life. Then there’s that good tired feeling you get after spending hours in the garden. You sleep more soundly that night, since…you can’t remember when. A day or two later you start discovering muscles you never knew you had! Every movement brings with it an ache that reminds you of your gardening accomplishments and you feel good as you relive your experience communing with the spirit of your garden. Next comes the impossibility of passing by your garden without stopping to admire it. With that comes one of the highest things you can do for your sense of well-being. You bathe in the appreciation of beauty. Is it any wonder that centuries ago it was discovered that people recovering from illness and injury recovered faster if they tended a garden? You cannot help but put something of yourself into the soil, the plants and the environment. As you cultivate your garden, so it cultivates a certain something upon your soul. Indeed, gardening is a spiritual experience. It connects us to the One-ness that is, to the oneness of where we truly are. We lose our I-ness, and unconsciously integrate into the flow of the universe. We fall into perfect harmony and finally arrive home.
About the Author:Julian Kalmar is part of a small think tank dedicated to spreading happiness throughout the world. More happiness teachings are available in his 4-CD audio collection, “Happiness: The Highest Gift.” Julian recently joined the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Wayne Dyer and Marc Allen in winning the coveted "Audio-of-the-month" award. (http://www.thehappinessformula.com)

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Gardening Basics: Do You Know Your Garden Zone? by Glenn Cutforth

When starting out as a gardener, there are many many things you don't as yet know. In fact, quite often you might not even realize what you don't know, which means they may not be a problem at the beginning. However, as your experience grows and you become anxious to try out new garden styles, various flowers, plants or shrubs, you'll realize you're going to have to start learning some gardening basics.
For instance, it's important to know in which garden zone you live in. In the United States -- and most parts of the world -- there are garden zones assigned, which makes it a somewhat easier to understand which types of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs grow well in your zone. These zones are separated based on how much heat an area gets, and when the first and last frost of each year take place.
Other factors contribute to the success or failure of growing flowers and other plants, however, including how much natural rain falls, the length of sunlight throughout the day, as well as the types of soils found in the area.
Due to these other factors, garden zones are just a baseline to get you started, but you may discover that some plants you've tried to grow may not always act the way you expect them to in your gardening zone. This is due to the differences within the same zone, and will depend on where you live. Each zone stretches across the country from the east to west coasts, with the lower zones being farther north, and the higher zones being south.
The same zone on the east coast is likely going to be slightly different than the desert southwest mainly because of differences in sun strength and the level of humidity. In addition, there can also be substantial differences in the types of soil naturally present in each area. Thus, while all plants are marked for which zones they'll grow in and how much sun they require, the same plant may perform quite differently in different parts of the country even if it's the same zone.
Here's a good general rule: if you can buy a plant or flower at your local garden center, it's likely to grow with relative success in your area.
It may be best to try and start with small seedling plants and then experiment with them in different locations. You may discover that the your first year planting pansies, for instance, they'll die quickly because they didn't appear to like the full sun location where they were planted. The following year, if you try another spot with less strong sunlight for so many hours of the day, they could thrive and grow much better.
Meanwhile, you may discover that Vincas grow and thrive in the hottest places in your yard, no matter how many hours the sun beats down on them.
If you're interested in finding out which gardening zone you live in, check around on the Internet, or ask at your local garden center or nursery. If you live at the edge of two zones, the good news is that you'll have many more plant varieties to experiment with in your garden because often you'll do well with plants that can grow well in both zones.
About the Author
Glenn Cutforth is a writer, graphic designer and publisher of quality eBooks at Maxx Publishing http://www.MaxxPublishing.com. If you're interested in getting started with your own Garden, visit his website Lawn and Garden Magic at http://www.LawnandGardenMagic.com, where you'll find a wealth of information, tips and resources.

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Gardening For Kids!

By richard donlevy [ 04/07/2007 ]
[ viewed 6 times ]



Gardening is a subject which captivates most of us at some time in our lives. It is quite rare for a person to reach their twilight years and not have been touched by this enormously popular hobby.Over the last few years gardening’s popularity has soared with its very high profile in the media, in particular television, which has acted as a precursor to the vast numbers of books and magazines covering all aspects of gardening which now appear in our bookshops.The Horticultural Trades Association estimates that the industry is now worth £5 billion pounds, a third of which is spent on plants that are bought through DIY outlets and Garden Centres, used to enhance our gardens and stimulate our enthusiasm for more adventurous designs.Today, there has never been a better time to get children interested and involved in the garden and to help them understand and develop respect for the natural environment which we all live in.If a child’s first experience with gardening is fun and successful, the chances are that they will develop the green fingers, a reward that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.There are few things children enjoy more than digging in the soil and making mud pies. They are fascinated by looking for worms and insects and love to water the garden or anything else in the vicinity. Children also like planting seeds, watching them grow and then harvesting what they have grown. By carefully cultivating their curiosity, you can help them develop a love of both nature and gardening that will be with them for many years to come. In addition, gardening can help children have a greater understanding of the living environment which plays such an important part nowadays in the national curriculum. It should be remembered that supporting your child in these activities can be very demanding, time consuming, and therefore it is important not to overwhelm either you or your child by making the experience over ambitions or too intensive. Remember, gardening should be fun and exciting.For younger children, soil preparation may be the most fun part of gardening. Children aged 2 or 3 love to dig the soil with a large spoon and help prepare the garden ready for seed sowing or planting. Where children live in a townhouse or apartment, a small corner or balcony can provide enough space for a child’s container garden. It is surprising what you can grow and surprising how attractive growing a range of lettuce or Swiss chard can look in combination with other greens in containers. In fact dwarf varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and fruit such as dwarf apples, strawberries etc can do well in containers.For older children, 5 – 8 year old, whilst they still need an adults support, they can have a larger sized garden with a greater variety of full sized plants such as tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radish, carrots and some herbs. It is important not to forget plants such as marigolds, nasturtiums, sweet peas, sunflowers and vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beetroot, onions and leeks etc. Be careful to make sure plants are non toxic eg rhubarb leaves and stems when eaten raw are poisonous. Berries are also attractive to children, but can be quite dangerous if eaten eg Yew Berries (seeds in the berry are poisonous). Other poisonous plants include Foxgloves, Ivy with berries, Privet, Fuchsia, Potato plant – all parts except the potato itself.Remember children can be sensitive to all sorts of plants in the garden.What appeals to many children is the sensory garden for example sight, feel, smell, taste and sound.Sight – Sunflowers, Pot Marigolds. Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’Feel – Stachys lanata, Lambs Ear, Phlomis fruticosa and House LeekSmell – Lavender, Curry Plant, Sweet Pea, Chocolate CosmosTaste – Spearmint, Rosemary, Wild Strawberry and ChivesSound – Sweetcorn, Bamboo, Nigella At this age children also want ownership of their garden and it is important that you distinguish their area from the rest of the garden. Encourage children to be creative by growing a willow wigwam for the family to sit in, a fun maze, container pond, a pizza garden or sunflower house.For children 5 to 8, they have a greater understanding of what is going on in the garden and will take more interest in beneficial insects, predators and harmful ‘bugs’.As children get older they will also take more of an interest in visits to the garden centre. Here you will be able to select one or two unusual plants or vegetables which they can experiment with for example globe artichokes which are sturdy and do well with low maintenance and a sunny position.For children’s gardens use pest and disease resistant plants. Children love to touch and fingers often end up in their mouths, so organic and pesticide free plants are the safest. Vegetables which are fairly problem free include beetroot, carrots, lettuce, onions, peas and radishes. After watching, watering and weeding, this summer you and your child will have shared hours of fun and learning together.Of course, there are other ways of encouraging children to become more interested in gardening, for example:1) Encourage basic gardening skills through a range of projects and activities, children learn how to care for a variety of plants.2) Make a garden in a bottle.3) Design a garden in a seed tray.4) Encourage children to grow plants from cuttings or seeds. Try growing an oak tree from an Acorn.5) Encourage children to read different books such as information books and increase their range of reading and improve referencing skills.6) Children like to explore interesting facts for example:i) Some orchid seed pods hold 3 million seeds.ii) The largest seed is a double coconut which measures 50cm around the middle.iii) Coconuts have a fibrous coating and air inside them, because they need to float to a new home.iv) Seeds provide the world’s daily food – breakfast cereal, toast, pasta or pizza.v) Some seed is very dangerous eg deadly nightshade – 2 seeds can kill a person. Castor Oil plant – 1 seed will kill an adult.http://www.levsta is the home of Gardening Paradise.It has been voted in the Top 100 Gardening sites by google and offers a wealth of Gardening Imformation and Ideas for Gardeners of all levels.Hundreds of colour Photographs and articles.Q+A pagesProducts available for all your Gardening needs- In conjunction with Amazon.Gardening Tips from Experts and much much more........http://www.levsta.com - A must for any Gardening Enthusiast

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