In honor of 250 years since 1776, the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semi quincentennial (America 250) has chosen a different theme each month to highlight and celebrate Ohio's rich history. To celebrate the month of September, Ohio Plays – Sports and Wellness, Garden Program Manager Peter Lowe focuses on the mental and physical benefits of gardening.
A 1984 Science study, "View Through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery” is an iconic discovery that has shaped how researchers have viewed gardening for almost 50 years. Between 1972 and 1981, recovery records from a gallbladder removal surgery were examined to find if a room with a natural view could have restorative properties compared to those that didn’t.
Roger S. Ulrich, the main researcher, found the patients with a natural view had shorter hospital stays, received fewer negative comments and took less medications than the patients who didn’t have that view.
“It’s amazing that science has developed all the way into therapeutic horticulture,” said Lowe. “It becomes physical, mental and emotional. It’s an opportunity to exercise every part of your mental well-being. It’s lowering your stress, refocusing your brain and being able to take a moment in the outdoors to center yourself, focus on one thing at a time and become more mindful.”
According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, therapeutic horticulture is the “participation in horticultural activities facilitated by a registered horticultural therapist or other professionals with training in the use of horticulture...through which participants enhance their well-being through active or passive involvement in plant and plant-related activities.”
There are various theories that support the practice of therapeutic horticulture, including the Stress Reduction Theory, The Attention Restoration Theory and the Biophilia Hypothesis. Biophilia is a “hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature,” according to Merriam-Webster.
Lowe said that gardening isn’t just about the mental benefits, but it’s about the physical benefits too.
“Some people don’t like to go out on the pavement, but they’re still looking for that extension,” he said. “You can utilize your pruners and work on that grip strength. Maybe you have a lot of weeds – work on those squats! The opportunity in the garden to get physical is boundless.”
For Lowe, gardening is something that snuck into his life and transformed from a hobby, into a passion into a full-fledged career decorated with certifications and more than two decades of experience. Lowe feels his best in the garden. “Here at the Learning Garden especially, I get to see our visitors interacting with the garden and watching the joy on their faces as they watch a butterfly skip flower to flower,” he said.
Lowe also said that gardening is one of the prime activities that makes him feel young. Not only is it the physical activity of gardening but the privilege of his career being outside.
He recommends gardening to anyone of all ages and abilities.
“It is an experience not only caring for yourself, but an opportunity to care for something else,” he said. “As you learn to care for another living thing, you start to learn about yourself."