People have said that Americans love to garden. Since the pandemic, millions more people have turned to their gardens for healing.
Studies have shown that gardening and spending time in nature can lower our blood pressure, make us feel less stressed and anxious, and strengthen our immune systems. Getting in touch with nature can make us feel less angry, improve our mood, and help us stay in the present.
All kinds of gardening are good for both our bodies and our minds. Serotonin, a chemical that makes us feel good, is released when we exercise. So just being outside and working in our gardens can be good for our health in so many ways.
But we can also boost our self-worth by feeling like we’ve done something good. And taking care of a garden is something you should be proud of.
Healing Herbs
Growing herbs is a great place to start if you are new to gardening or don’t have much space. Even if you don’t have a garden and only have a balcony or a windowsill, this is enough space to get started.
Most herbs are hardy, overgrow, and, of course, are good for your health. But pollinators like them, too, so all the bees will come to your yard.
Herbs are fun and easy to grow, and they give you a sense of accomplishment when you grow them yourself.
So, here are five herbs you can start using right away.
Chamomile
Chamomile is best known for its calming effects, which help you relax and fall asleep. However, it can also help your digestive system.
It is a hardy annual plant, so why not try growing it from seed in the spring? It will happily grow from its seeds, and it doesn’t need much care, so it is an excellent herb for a beginner.
Its pretty flower looks like a daisy, so it will look good on any cottage garden border.
Catmint
Cats like catmint can also help us by easing stress and calming nerves.
It will come back every year if you grow it in your garden as a perennial. It also makes a lot of seeds, which you could save and use to grow more plants for your garden.
Pollinators love it too, so it’s not just cats and people who like it. It will be full of bees and butterflies, which will make your herb garden a busy place.
Lemon Balm
Like chamomile, lemon balm is an easy-to-grow herb from a seed. Like chamomile, it has calming properties that make it good for reducing stress and anxiety.
It naturally keeps bugs away because it smells like lemons. It grows best in rich, well-drained compost, but it will need watering in the summer, so keep an eye on it.
Lavender
Lavender has flowers that are purple and smell nice. But people have used these fragrant flowers to calm down for hundreds of years. It is so relaxing that it is used to help people sleep and in aromatherapy oils.
Because of these things, it is often grown as a herb in the garden, and it is also a must-have plant in a cottage garden. Lavender is a must-have for any garden.
The English types are very hardy, easy to grow, and will bring a lot of pollinators to your garden, which is good for us and the environment.
Valerian
Like lavender, Valerian is a must-have in a cottage garden, and I wouldn’t have my garden without it. This plant is very easy to grow from a seed, and it also spreads quickly by sending out new seeds.
Valerian root is well-known for making people sleepy and calming them down.
Conclusion
The act of sowing and growing these five herbs has lovely calming and relaxing effects on our minds and bodies and our health.
So many good things can come from our gardens, and I think anyone, anywhere, can start gardening. We can make something beautiful and helpful for ourselves and nature with just a packet of seeds.
I hope this has made you want to grow some herbs this year. I can promise that the results will make you so happy.
