We’ve all gone for a quick walk to clear our heads at one point or another, and we’ve experienced (or at least heard of) the euphoric runner’s high in trying to outrun our problems. But there’s more at play when we go out for a mood fix than just that burst of dopamine. Have you ever considered that even the trees and bushes you pass are playing their part in cheering you up?
Studies have shown that spending any amount of time in ‘green’ spaces actively decreases mental fatigue, improves cognition, and helps us relax, body and mind. Just in case that bit about improving cognition seems a little far-fetched, this finding was published in 2015 in the Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning, in a paper titled ‘The benefits of nature experience: improved affect and cognition’. The paper establishes this improvement in cognition by assessing mental health factors such as anxiety and rumination, and measuring something called working memory, or operation span task. Unfortunately, we spend so much of our adult lives indoors – about 90%, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We are losing out on a lot – living in ‘greener’ urban areas is proven to have an observable impact on the probability of contracting conditions such as obesity, diabetes, asthma, cardiovascular disease, mental distress as mentioned, and even mortality.
But how do we reconcile this with the fact that we spend much of our time indoors, and in small spaces at that? Urban living in this day and age almost always means that you simply do not have the space for any kind of garden or backyard beyond public parks in the great outdoors. So, how do we incorporate a little slice of nature into our living space?
With commitment, of course. And with a few gardening tools.
Living in a constrained space doesn’t mean that you have to divorce yourself from nature completely. While there may be practical limitations to what is possible, few things are ever truly impossible – which is why it’s important that we do what can to elevate our overall quality of life. With that said, there is a long list of houseplants, be it succulents, cacti, herbs, veggies, or even the odd flowerpot that we can incorporate into our living space depending on the sunlight you get and where.
Sunlight is key in establishing your own little home garden (even if it’s just two houseplants). If you really decide to invest your efforts into exercising your green fingers, a simple internet search will often recommend what you should be planting based on the sunlight your apartment or room receives. If this is new to you, the various measurements can be a little hard to interpret. Generally, however, ‘full sun’ refers to spaces that receive six or more hours of sunlight each day, which is comparable to the amount of sunlight that a plant growing outdoors might receive. ‘Partial sun’ is four to six hours of sunlight per day and ‘full shade’ is, therefore, less than fours of sunlight a day. Establishing the amount of sunlight you can provide your green friends beforehand will help you make your decisions when you do decide to shop around for some. On the off chance that your living space experiences no sun at all, plants also grow well under artificial lighting, be it a dedicated grow light or a desk lamp that you can spare.
Sunlight is not all however – you also need to think about what kind of living space you have. If you’re living in a ‘concrete jungle’, it is likely that your room/s or apartment is exposed to a significant amount of heat. This will affect your plants if you’re planning to put them on a window bracket or balcony. In this case, you should look for plants that can endure this heat and sunlight. Houseplants are generally a good pick, given that they tend to be tropical in their origins, although it’s never a good idea to treat them like they could withstand actual hellfire. Houses or apartments in heavily urbanised areas tend to be surrounded by brick, mortar, asphalt, and the like, all of which absorb and emanate heat. Although some plants will come with their own watering guidelines, as a rule of thumb, it is necessary to water plants that are exposed to the sun and the elements.
Urban gardening may be an alien concept, especially to those who have had the great fortune of growing up with expansive backyards and gardens. There are many products and innovations in this realm that open up more possibilities to those interested, be it an experienced gardener or a ‘budding’ novice. While innovations such as soil-less gardening may be too complicated and technical for you, or would simply eliminate the ‘fun’ element of gardening, there are plenty of other products that have been created just to make surrounding yourself with a few greens possible. Most of these have been around for years, but it’s useful to remind yourself of the possibilities.
Utilizing the vertical space you have available to incorporate your plants into is the first step in establishing your home ‘garden’. This can be an unused shelf in your bookshelf, the middle of a table, a window ledge, and so on. You can opt for container gardening in these cases, such as plant pots, grow bags, a mug you can spare, or a repurposed pencil holder. Other methods to utilize vertical space in your space include hanging baskets, wall-mounted planters, and the relatively new ‘wall-hanging pockets’ made of tough, fabric-like material, which are all great options.
Most plants that you ultimately choose to have in your home will likely come with their own lists of specifications for optimal growth and yield, especially in the case of flowering plants or vegetables. However, keeping plants alive tends to be intuitive, so long as they are not completely unattended or abandoned to the mercy of time. Regular maintenance is best for your plant’s health, which can include regular watering, fertilization, and pruning. If fertilization is too complicated, you can check your local gardening shop for slow-releasing fertilizer ‘bricks’ that you can simply leave in your plant container. Checking regularly for unwanted guests and diseases in your plants can also be helpful in the long term.
Growing plants indoors or whatever space you have available is a fantastically easy way to incorporate a practice that boosts your mental health. Even the simple act of taking care of a potted plant can be an elevating experience, especially when you are going through difficult times. The feeling of being needed and necessary, and having a regular maintenance routine to tend to, are all secondary benefits of gardening. There are others, such as beautification and improved air quality that we haven’t even discussed. But as seasoned gardeners will tell you, when you see your new plants budding new leaves or flowers for the very first time, you’ll need no real reason to keep on once you’ve started.
(Theruni M. Liyanage)