The ‘heat is on’ for indoor foliage
Eve is very particular when it comes to watering and feeding her array of indoor plants. “I water them strictly by touch,” she says. When some of Eve’s plants are looking a little ‘under the weather,’ her visitors recommend that she throw them away; most of the time, she doesn’t listen to their advice. “I find it difficult to throw any plant away,” she says.
Eve’s green thumb shows: she’s had one Crocus plant for over 20 years. “I love my plants,” she says. “They’re such a joy.”
In an article entitled ‘The Pull of Gardening,’ master gardener and author Yvonne Swanson touts the advantages of gardening. “Gardening has a profound effect on aging. Medical studies show a regular program of gardening can improve health and wellbeing, including the prevention of serious problems such as heart attack and osteoporosis.”
Experts: ‘Gardening can improve health’
According to horticultural therapist Hank Bruce, “Gardening can lower blood pressure and improve circulation and breathing. Gardening can be so effective in healing that medical facilities provide horticultural therapy for patients who have undergone surgery or other treatments.”
Bruce concludes: “The health effects of gardening extend beyond the physical, say experts. From an emotional standpoint, working with plants boosts self-esteem and creates a feeling of usefulness and a sense of responsibility. The simple tasks of weeding, cultivating, and pruning relieve tension, anger, and stress.”
It’s amazing that with just a little effort, a hobby that gives so much pleasure can have such a rewarding payoff!
Lulu Harwell has been gardening since she was eight years old. “I was planting beans and corn when I lived with my grandparents,” says Lulu, who moved to the community with her husband, Ernie, from Farmington Hills.
For Lulu, gardening is more than just a hobby. “Gardening is both peaceful and productive,” says Lulu. “It’s fun to do, because it’s ever changing.”
Gardener enjoys green ‘science’
Like Eve, Lulu is also a member of Fox Run’s Garden Club. She usually orders her plants from Jackson Perkins, or shops at English Gardens or Home Depot. “I will go far sometimes to get plants,” admits Lulu.
Lulu has dozens of gardening books lining her bookshelves. “I love gardening because it’s a science,” she says. “I read a lot about it.”
Many of her indoor plants were ‘born’ out of the dozen or so plants she had on her balcony. “Some people gave me clippings and plants, too,” she says.
Indoors, she grows flora such as bamboo and ivy plants. “There are so many options on what you can grow.”
It’s nice to know that at Fox Run, gardeners don’t have to take a ‘horticultural hiatus’ during inclement weather – they can grow to their hearts content.