There is much to be said about the healing magic of digging in the earth and I plan to share more of my experiences—both the joy and the pain—as well as the stories of others like me who find gardening gives them back something they couldn’t find elsewhere.  In the meantime, if you would like to read the interview you can find it here.  And thanks, Virginia, for asking.

Perhaps early spring is my favourite.  The excitement of season’s change, the new growth, the possibilities.  Each seed carries enough energy in it to burst into a new plant and it feels like that energy is rumbling beneath the earth ready to explode into eggplants and coneflowers and sage. 

Then again in late spring it’s a joy to have so much lettuce that I’m forced to eat a 10:30 salad daily, and drop off bags of spring greens on the doorsteps of neighbours. 

In early summer it’s wonderful to get my big seedlings out to their forever homes in the garden beds while the lush green foliage of perennials are filling up every corner of the garden. 

And then in mid summer there’s the wonderful days spent resting in the hammock chair under my deck while the bees and plants do all the hard work to fruit and flower. 

In late summer there are the new recipes I’m forced to create to use the masses of veggies that are ripe to be picked. 

In fall there is the sound of canning lids popping in a chorus that sings about the freshness captured in each jar to be enjoyed in the colder months. 

And in winter rest in the garden gives way to bustling emotions around family and change. 

I can’t choose.  I love them all.  So what is your favourite season?  I’d love to know.

The first thing that came to mind was my first gardening day of 2010, this past Saturday, when it was beautifully warm and sunny.  I popped out of bed, put on my grubby clothes and scrub boots, and headed out to clean up the garden a bit.  I dug through the brown foliage from last year’s beauties and was delighted to find new growth peeking out from below the spent plants.  As I worked my neighbours waved and teased me for doing a spring cleaning in January while other people stopped by with their dogs to tell me how they loved to walk past my garden month after month.  Not a flower was blooming, and most of what I was working on was mucky and dead, but for me the therapy from gardening is the activity not the results. 

I started gardening to relieve the monotony of my days being forced to “rest” and “give my body a chance to heal”.  But it proved to be exercise for my mind and body that is allows any pace I can muster.  The mental exercise of figuring out the many biological factors that must be determined to successfully grow a plant provides as much diversity as the physical challenges hold.  The benefit along the way is a stronger mind, a lighter spirit, and a better heart rate.

Gardening on that sunny, spring-like day had all the elements of what I need to heal myself: connection with the earth and people, nurturing new growth, laughs with friends and neighbours, physical challenges, and of course the warm sun shining on my skin.  I don’t believe that healing should be about strict regimens and a “no pain no gain” mentality.  I have enough pain already, we all do in our own ways, and so garden therapy to me is a way to be gentle and kind to myself.  That’s what my sunny day in January did that no prescription drug or physiotherapy session can match; it warmed me up, body and soul, and gave me new energy to cope with life’s challenges.  As the ground thaws making way for seemingly endless sunny days in the garden, I look forward to the gardening year and the nurturing both my plants and I will benefit from.

Gardening is wonderful therapy for me.  I’ve been using it to recover from illness now for a few years and I’ve found it gives back so much more than it requires of me.  Some may find my garden to be a mess, with hundreds of plants all tucked in together with limited structure and order while others will stop on the sidewalk to tell me that they enjoy walking by daily to see what’s new.  That’s what I like about it: the mishmash of trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetables, herbs, garden art and bird feeders make the garden a joy to walk through.  I revel in each new volunteer that joins the fun while I keep up with the old favourites and recent additions. 

 Around this time of year when the blooms have turned to seed heads and the ground is covered in spent foliage, visiting wild birds frequent the colourful feeders offering up a cabaret of movement and sound.  I know that winter is here when the Dark-Eyed Juncos hop and pip along the ground under the feeders.  I love to watch the Black Capped Chickadees take one sunflower seed or peanut at a time, fly to a neighbouring tree branch and daintily peck at it from between their tiny feet.  And I’m secretly delighted to see a Sharp Shinned Hawk soaring away while I try to protect my little visitors. 

Hand feeding the chickadees

Given how healing it can be for me to enjoy the daily wild bird show, I was happy to find the artists at To Make You Smile had donated whimsical birdhouses to gardens for healing purposes.  According to Teresia Hazen, registered horticultural therapist, and coordinator, Therapeutic Gardens and Horticultural Therapy, “Watching birds gives patients, their families and staff members a window on the world of nature. And enjoying the beauty of the winged creatures while walking in the garden brings healthful pleasure.”   I particularly enjoyed the installation at the Legacy Emanuel Children’s Hospital and can imagine how delighted the children would be to see the birds bringing nesting materials and then food for the hatchlings, the wee peeps of tiny occupants and watching the first flights. 

Legacy Emanuel Children’s Garden Birdhouses. Photo: Mary Elizabeth McAndrew

I know I’ll be setting up a few birdhouses come next Spring and if I can get to one of To Make You Smile’s shows I’ll have much to choose from.  For more information on how to get one of these lovelies, contact info@tomakeyousmile.com.  I’m sure these colourful creations will bring some added therapy to your garden.

To Make You Smile Birdhouses. Photo: Mary Elizabeth McAndrew