A former colleague in a new job found she had to commute two plus two hours daily, a total of four hours, just to get to her workplace and back, taking three different modes of transportation, leaving home at 7:45 am and returning after 9:00 pm. Initially distressed and tired, she soon found a way to boost her spirits. In her modest home in Delhi, on the rooftop, she began to grow flowering and other plants in pots, tending them either before leaving for work or after reaching home late at night. Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts, points out Sigmund Freud.

The transformation was revelatory. No more sagging shoulders, no more frowning. All smiles and full of information about plant species, their attributes and behavior. Learning their botanical and popular names, she began documenting every flower, creating folders that she would browse through when tired. She would search online for more information. She found it therapeutic, inspiring and creative. Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden, asks Robert Brault.

The New York Times reports that in Sweden, there is a growing trend among old and young, to rent or buy a small garden patch, even if postage stamp-size, near their urban dwelling. Called kolonitradgardar, this practice of gaining access to garden allotments is said to have contributed a great deal to help them grow fresh produce, connect with nature and community. "The garden programs were specifically designed to improve the mental and physical health of city dwellers," says Fredrick Bjork, lecturer at Malmo University who specializes in environmental history.

Health benefits are numerous - getting your hands dirty in the garden boosts self-esteem, increases your intake of Vitamin D, makes you feel happy and confident, boosts heart health, reduces stress and blood pressure, and you get to grow your own food, fresh and organic. It is a fulfilling activity that is creative and beautiful.

Hi-rise apartment complexes in newly developed residential urban areas like in Gurgaon, NCR, provide opportunity for urban dwellers to grow what they like in small garden plots. A couple, I know, visit and work on their patch on weekends and get excited to potter around the beds of vegetables and flowers, harvesting what they sow and bring the produce home and share with friends.

"Gardening connects us to life's natural rhythms, the gifts of each season, the wonder of creation and the natural world. For me, gardening and gratitude go hand-in-hand," says Gretchen Champoux, who runs a garden consultation company in Seattle. She views gardens as sacred spaces that assist her on her spiritual journey.

Gardening is akin to worship. You are in close touch with Mother Earth. You are in divine partnership with the master creator, working towards nurturing and sustaining life as you engage in regenerative agriculture that is sustainable, healing and productive. The earth is a garden, the Lord its gardener, cherishing all, none neglected, says a verse in the Adi Granth. House plants are said to recognize their owners from two km away. Plants are sentient beings; they respond by perking up when the plant owner returns after going out. "The person who planted me is coming back!" they seem to say. Gardens are enchanted places, let's enjoy them.

Authored by: Narayani Ganesh

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