Growing flowers and plants is an important hobby for many, as it helps to create positive energy in the soul, and its beautiful appearance increases the beauty of the place, but it certainly needs special care in order to stay ripe.
Dear Mary, That may be all there is--decription of Edo hydrangeas and how the Harvard garden is looking similar.
I love growing different types of flowers and plants, it helps me feel beautiful, optimistic, self-confident and comfortable
It has aesthetic values and improves the air quality as seen during COVID lockdown
Both my next door neighbour and I love growing plants, and while I have a mature garden in front of the house, she has almost as many beautiful plants in boxes between her front wall and bay window. We often see people stop and look at our displays. Not so much at the moment, because of social distancing, but people quite often ask me if I'm busy in the garden, for example, about the name of a rose bush. We have beautiful butterflies and bumble bees. Sometimes I am really pleased with myself, for example, when my grapefruit pip plant produced a flower; it may be easy, but it does not happen to mine very often, so it made me very happy! Quite a lot of the pictures are quite old now, but apart from no flowering grapefruit this year, everything is much the same. And make me just as happy.
Yes, I love plants. They add color and oxygen.
Do you think talking to them helps them or just us?
I talk to my plants; I think it keeps me happy but also helps them. This link mentions the Royal Horticultural Society researching the subject, but I could not see the original reference:
https://www.thespruce.com/should-you-talk-to-your-plants-3972298
Mary C R Wilson l have always been in love with growing things, in particular, vegetables. Flowers are beautiful and I am just following in my aunt's footsteps in this. l am still a learner.
I'm so pleased that this discussion is still available; I could not find it for a few days. Shalom Odutayo, I was interested to read that you were following in your aunt's footsteps. On my mother's side, they were all keen gardeners, so I was brought up to love and care for plants. But I think it's mainly me who talks to them!
Interesting response from Dr Michael Uebel
I expect when people have been at home as a result of COVID-19 lockdown, caring for plants has been a psychologically positive activity.
Planting is such a meaningful and purposeful activity that has many benefits and a positive significant impact on overall health and mood.
Gardening is so functional and helps creates a healthy physical and psychological status.
I love plants and take great care of them, especially shade plants, which are lively and beautiful; It is a delight for the eye and heart, and a source of fresh air; As plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, and the chemicals that are emitted from some of the substances in our homes are absorbed. However, caring for shade plants will be an easy task, and a fun pastime when knowing the needs
Abdenour Kheloufi
I quite understand your joy when a seed germinates. I had a tiny fern that I took out of a wall because it was in danger of being damaged, and for ages, all it had was one frond. Which was not dying, but not growing. Anyway, a small, still curled frond has just appeared. I was so happy!
Dear Colleages,
I would recommend Karel Capek's book _The Gardener's Year_ about the joy of gardening. There is joy, of course, but Capek humorusly looks at all the frustrations, confusions, and disappointments, as wll. Many of my vegetables are now being happily chewed upon by birds and grasshoppers. Gardening in the Sonoran desert is not for the faint-hearted.
Happy weeding,
Gloria
Here is a bit from Capek's The Gardener's Year::
"The Gardener's August: The Horror of going on a Summer Holiday"
https://greenprints.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/TheGardenersAugust.pdf
Dr Gloria Lee Mcmillan
Loved your link - both the text and the illustrations.
Gardening is a kind of life. The act of planting a flower or a plant rejuvenates me and reminds me of the beauty of life. The feeling is absolutely indescribable when a dry seed that you plant miraculously grows into a stem and then flowers. And then the beauty doesn't stop there, have you noticed the aroma the plants give off when you water them? I love the fragrance of roses. And it is as if my house plants are my friends, they quietly listen to me and are simply there for me.
It is interesting to know that even in temples in the East dedicated to martial arts, there was a space dedicated to seeing and caring for plants that, by making the site more attractive, fostered discipline and calmer states of consciousness
https://www.finegardening.com/article/10-ways-to-keep-your-garden-healthy
Dr Brij M Upreti
I have just downloaded the above. The magazine allows 3 free issues. This one is very interesting.
Thank you.
I wanted to share the joy with you of a flower and some buds in my living room. Since yesterday, I am watching the flower bloom and observing the numerous buds on the stem-it's a beautiful miracle-flowering plants are like children, they cause you to smile and relax. They don't expect anything in return.Indeed they are food for the soul.
The purity and innocence of nature is clearly defined in such noble beauty of the flowers that surround us and fill our souls with indescribable peace and tranquility. They teach us to learn silence and acceptance.
My neighbour and I are very good friends; but also, we both love growing plants. And this mutual understanding of the beauty of our flowers allows us to communicate not only by word of mouth but by reciprocal enthusiasm for enjoying what has grown.
I often look ahead into our eventual colonization of space. I welcome plants for our first people on Mars or in Moon settlements because they add oxygen. They do need carbon dioxide, though, to make that oxygen.
Anybody think of what kind of flowers we might grow in space? Also, what might be involved to keep these vegetal friends who will lighten the spirits of earthlings on Mars?
NASA says zinnias are good to grow and a vareity of kale. Some ornamental kales look like flowers.
LINK: https://www.nasa.gov/content/growing-plants-in-space
Very nice essay in the Harvard Gazette on matching gardens to Edo Japanese wood block prints...
LINK: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/harvard-events/events-calendar/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D146827176&utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Gazette%2020200729%20(1)
Hello, Gloria Lee Mcmillan
I'm not sure whether the link above got me to where I should have arrived.
But on my screen appeared some lovely pictures of hydrangeas. Thank you!
Which made me think of a gardening success that I'm really happy about. My pink hydrangea did not flower for two years, so I looked up and found that the soil was probably too rich in nitrogen. So, as directed, I added sawdust from a local joiner. And this year it has been beautiful; 17 inflorescences.
Dear Mary, That may be all there is--decription of Edo hydrangeas and how the Harvard garden is looking similar.
Yes, because since ancient times, flowers have been a symbol of love, beauty, positive feelings, life, fertility, etc.
Best regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
Flower plants have long been liked by the community because it has many benefits. In addition to having a beautiful color, flowers are also economical. Even flower plants are favored by all ages and social levels.
1. Improve your mood.
Flower plants have the ability to cultivate a positive aura in humans so that humans will feel happier, prosperous, and peaceful when seeing the flower plants. A person can turn into more raman and happy when you see the view that there are flowers and trees.
2. Reduce air pollution and prevent soil erosion.
Planting flowers is very beneficial to the environment. In addition to beautify spatial, flower plants can also reduce air pollution in the environment. When the flower plants undergo the process of photosynthesis, the leaves absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen.
Flowers are the most beautiful gift given by god to mankind. Flowers of different colors gives a sense of beauty,calmness and positivity to the viewer.They also plays important role in ayurvedic system of medicine like there are certain therapies which uses differently scented flowers for their aromatic properties. Ofcourse for growing flower plant some effort is required like you need to take care of the flower plant like any other plant but once you see flower buds coming out it gives you immense pleasure.
Flowers are beautiful and their fruits are equally beautiful. It is approaching autumn now in the UK, and the fruit and vegetables that follow the flowers are providing, literally, rich pickings. Work put in earlier in the year is coming to fruition as the result of these labours is gathered in.
But now comes the challenge to take advantage of all the means available to us to use what we grew while it is fresh, preserve it for a later date or share it with others.
It is also equally pleasurable to be able to accept the fruits of our friends' harvest, often in exchange.
Unfortunately, man no longer understands how to preserve the planet and its beauty ... and neglected nature, including plants and flowers, which we need now badly to raise our health and psychological condition amid our suffering from plagues, wars and destruction
I looked out of the window wondering whether it was going to stop raining and saw the three little viola plants that I have in the back. Their flowers have a petal arrangement to make them appear like little faces, and they look as if they are smiling at you, encouragingly. If the rain had made it feel a bit gloomy. the violas have definitely cheered me up. So, I'm writing in agreement with all the researchers above who have pointed out how positive plants are for the human race. My plants definitely keep my spirit up!
I don't know which particular plants Epicurus grew in his garden, but Seneca, in his Letters to Lucilius (21.10), recommends: «Go to his Garden some time and read the motto carved there: “Dear Guest, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure.” The caretaker of that abode, a friendly host, will be ready for you; he will welcome you with barley-meal, and serve you water also in abundance, with these words: “Have you not been well entertained? This garden does not whet your appetite but quenches it. Nor does it make you more thirsty with every drink; it slakes the thirst with a natural cure – a cure that requires no fee. It is with this type of pleasure that I have grown old.” »
Dr Karl Pfeifer
Thank you. I enjoyed your above response; an uplifting read for a Sunday morning. I feel better for having seen it and am now looking into Seneca's Letters to Lucilius.
Where I am looking, there are 3 volumes comprised of 124 translated letters. I have found the source of your quotation and am going to dip into a few more letters.
In case any other RG readers would like to read further, I am looking at:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius/Letter_21
in:https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius
Dr Karl Pfeifer, I don't know if you had a different link or whether it was on paper?
Thank you again,
Mary
Dr.Suaad Hadi Al-Taai
Hello Professor.
Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made but forgot to put a smile.
I am blessed to have a house with a beautiful garden. Every winter, I grow chrysanthemums, petunia, marigold, dahlia and many other types of local Indian flowers. I love to spend time with them in winter evenings. I find an amazing softness in the air when these flowers bloom. With a magic wand, when nature vanishes the whizzing cold winds, winter starts to fade, the sun rays are warmer, the butterflies reappear in my garden. These winter flowers silently give their way to the summer blooms like sunflowers, button flowers etc. This cycle goes on and on, thereby reminding me
"It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection."
- Voltaire
Thank you.
Best regards,
Anamitra Roy.
Mary C R Wilson 🖖 Seneca's letters can be found all over the internet. A complete set in one volume can be downloaded here:
https://www.docdroid.net/SpwJztN/seneca-moral-letters-to-lucilius-v8-pdf
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