Gardening may brighten up our lives in a sometimes inexpressive world, as we tend to take a moment to appreciate nature in its beauty. However, it's not the only reason why many people prefer it as their hobby. It is something that you may do season after season, year after year, and in your older years, you may share it with your children. Teaching them to nurture a living thing and be responsible for their own environment segment are great lessons to pass down. It is beneficial not only for your soil and backyard but also for your health and mood as a great way to relieve stress, set goals and contemplate, and raise something that you love. On top of all that, growing your own produce is a great way to become more sustainable at home and reduce your environmental impact. Remember, your life begins the day you start a garden, as the Chinese proverb says. Let's look into the perks of gardening as a hobby for more details.
Help a planet
One of the reasons that gardening is considered the best hobby is that although gardens are human-made, they represent a natural environment and make an ecosystem. Plants and trees grow there, taking in carbon and releasing oxygen, and the plants' roots stabilize the soil and filter water. With no trees and plants, the land may heat up and dry out, causing wildfires.
Wildlife, such as birds, bugs, and bees, especially honey bees, are essential to the lifecycle of the world entirely. Your backyard garden is bound to have its native pollinators, and having your own garden is a great way to entice them into it. They'll help your flowers look nicer, keep your perennials coming back, and help your vegetable garden to flourish.
Get healthy in many ways
When it comes to planting as a hobby, it doesn't matter if you grow flowers on a windowsill or spend every weekend in your garden; you know this special feeling you have when taking care of your plants. It is not about the size of the lawn or how much time you spend digging the area, but the fact that gardening brings joy and satisfaction, especially when you see the results of your work. The Princeton study results show that people who like gardening feel a sense of delight every time they see that their hard work brings something new and beautiful.
As you may know, working in the office does not help us be active physically, so we need to look for alternative ways to move more. When, for example, we plant flowers, weed them out, feed the trees, it gives the same effect as doing sports but in mild yet tangible form. On the other hand, if you are hefting huge pots or wheelbarrows of soil around, it is similar to high-intensity training. Gardening also helps us to cope with negative emotions, meditate, relieve insomnia and improve sleep quality. In addition, exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D production, which is good for health and wellbeing. Finally, gardening decreases the risk of dementia and works successfully as a therapy for those already suffering from it. So, there are many benefits of gardening as a hobby.
Grow your food
If you want to live a long and healthy life, you need to pay a lot of attention to the food you prefer. Growing your produce could be more beneficial than the conventional produce you may otherwise buy at the store. If you have a horticulture hobby and your thumb is particularly green, you'll probably save more money than you realize by harvesting your fruits and veggies. One of the best gardening rewards is picking a ripe apple from a tree, blending some homemade pesto from a windowsill garden, or making a delicious pie with berries you've lovingly grown yourself.
Find your gardening inspiration!
Whether you are walking in a greenhouse somewhere abroad or tending to your backyard place, it is hard to deny that gardens have a certain appeal. Somebody created them for us to appreciate and get inspired, and so you could make your own, too. Even if you do not grow vast flower beds or your trees do not get huge, it is still possible to find ways that work for you, for example, gardening indoors, which is trendy nowadays. If you prefer to have a more extensive garden, such as in a rural area but do not know where to start, you may want to determine the ideal garden type you would like to have and then proceed. We have good ideas for urban gardens, too. Do not forget to check our gardening images for your inspiration.
Cottage styles and country gardens
There are four types of outdoor country gardens, if speak in general: romantic, leisure, natural, and family type, and each of these types have their own, specific features.
Romantic garden features lush roses, intricate gazebos, and furniture made from wrought iron, specifically with curls. It has cute little hideouts, a pond or a fountain, or even some sculptures - all these are essential things for a romantic. It's a perfect secluded place to get rid of all worries.
If you are delighted with English cottages or country gardens, but at the same time you want to arrange holidays with friends, neighbors, and household members, then the leisure garden is the perfect option for you. Significant features: big sitting area and outdoor grill, pergola, lush lawn, and flowerbeds. Plants are not arranged in any specific order, making tending easier and leaving a lot of time for holidays and pleasures.
As for the natural garden, here, nature may manifest itself in full glory. Nevertheless, a modern garden is not a place where everything is wild or neglected. Instead of a monotonous grassy area, place a lawn with flowers or even a tiny meadow. It will be enough to mow it once every two weeks, a couple of times per season. So there is a lot of time for enjoyment, holidays, relaxation and watching the animals. Thanks to its diversity, the natural garden is also ideal for children, as there is always room for unexpected finds.
Family type garden is a type of garden that is made for pleasant discoveries, while the garden is constantly changing. It may have a sandbox or a garden trampoline, and swings. You may add a beautiful garden pond where you could watch tadpoles and dragonflies. Of course, a heavy-duty grass lawn is a must!
Urban gardens or city gardens
If you do not have much space but still would like to enjoy nature's beauty, this is the right choice. An urban garden makes it possible to expand the area of an apartment or house. After all, it may be used from spring to autumn as an additional living room or dining room, playground, or kitchen together with the whole family, relatives, neighbors, and friends.
Here are some ideas: the walls of buildings may be decorated with climbing plants; if you have a pergola, it will protect you from curious eyes with the right plant choice. It is unnecessary to invest in the lawn; instead, opt-in for plants and trees in large pots or tubs. If there is not enough space, you may combine a seating bench with a high-base flower bed. It is better to limit the color palette to a few colors and use fewer materials. For durable elements such as floors, coverings, and furniture, subtle natural colors are more suitable. The white and pink flower beds will look amazing as they will vitalize the green tones. Avoid using artificial green shades in the design as they may not be in balance with existing plants.
The choice of plants for a small garden in the city is crucial. During purchase, look for plants that will not outgrow as outgrowing plants are not suitable for small gardens; it will save you from the trouble of pruning or even uprooting the tree if it grows too tall. If you choose evergreen shrubs such as bamboo, boxwood, or rhododendron, they will be pleasing to the eyes all year round, even when you look at them from your apartment window. If your choice is flowers, beautiful foliage, or lush growth, pay attention to such ornamental plants as maples, magnolias, or dogwoods.
An indoor garden that is not boring
The love for plants has blossomed so much that it has become essential in interior design. Nowadays, growing microgreens on the windowsill or having flowers in hanging pots or a vertical garden on your balcony is not only a source of pride but a fashionable hobby.
Imagine, a herb garden may be grown even on a kitchen window. Everyone can do this, as herbs require minimal conditions: a light windowsill and appropriate watering. Such herbs as basil, parsley, dill, cilantro, onion, rosemary, thyme, and microgreens may be grown throughout the spring and summer on the window, even if the sun appears for at least 3-4 hours a day. Just water the plants on time, and you will have the herbs to add to your cooking very soon!
If you wish to grow house plants but are not sure whether you will succeed with the care, succulents are ideal, even you may forget to water them. They grow slowly, take up very little space, survive in the shade, and can make it for weeks without watering. Over the past few years, succulents have become a real trend and are used to decorate spaces.
Beginners will also cope with such plants as zamioculcas, sansevieria, and philodendron. For them, occasional watering once every 1-2 weeks and diffused sunlight will be enough. Household fig trees require a slightly more responsible but not complicated approach; choose from classic weeping fig, rubber tree with dense, glossy leaves, or fiddle leaf fig. And, if you feel confident enough, try growing a real banana tree or even a bird of paradise!
It is essential when choosing a plant to think about how it will look in the interior. If you need to pick a plant for open spaces with high ceilings, big plants with large leaves are appropriate: fiddle leaf fig, pakhira, banana palm, or hovea. For a modern minimalist interior, it is better to choose simply shaped plants with clearly defined leaves: spathiphyllum, monstera, zamioculcas, or rubber tree fig. If your goal is to emphasize the relaxed atmosphere, add calathea, echeveria, crassula, or alocasia to your interior.
Gardening trends
Yes, the trends are present even in gardening, yet they have remained constant for years. To stay up-to-date, you may check the following items and maybe pick something that speaks to you:
- Green wall: it is not easy to grow a vertical carpet of plants on a balcony or a wall, but the result is worth it;
- Terrariums or mini-greenhouses: plants are planted in transparent vases, aquariums, and jars so that the soil, pebbles, and roots are visible;
- Assorted succulents: a bunch of cuties in a long wooden box looks very impressive on a windowsill or a balcony;
- Macrame style hanging pots and levitating plants: your plants soar from the ceiling and also decorate the room or the garden from above;
- Dried flowers in vases: dried sprigs of lavender, eucalyptus, cotton, and lotus look beautiful in transparent bottles;
- Bonsai: these are trees with a height of 15 to 30 cm, completely recreating the appearance of large trees. They have a noticeable tree trunk and widely spreading branches covered with lush foliage. They are popular both as an independent plants and in compositions. You may grow them both indoors or outdoors.
You may also check our stock images for your inspiration and buy stock images for your blog or website if you own or are planning to have one. Remember, gardening is a beautiful tradition that has been making people happier for many thousand years. So, continue this tradition and enjoy your rewarding work!
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