Gardening to Ease Stress & Anxiety: The Undeniable Benefits of Time with Plants

Now  more than ever, we need to return to our gardens. We all know  instinctively how we feel better with time outside with wild plants.  Intentionally cultivate and grow that connection in this four-part  series. Easy-to-understand, scientifically proven benefits will be  covered alongside hands-on gardening techniques. Offering many of the  benefits of meditation, gardening can be a powerful mindfulness  practice. All are welcome, whether we plan on growing an herb container  garden in a window, joining a community garden for the first time or  growing veggies in our own backyard. Facilitator Jen Kardos of Backyard  Abundance will lead this four-part series that begins on March 25 via  Zoom and then continues in person in the Green Community Gardens at  Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) on April 22, June 3 and  June 24, from 4–6 p.m. On March 25, we will talk about the undeniable  benefits of time with plants. This will be an easy-to-understand  overview of the numerous evidenced-based benefits of time in gardens and  nature. Much like our pets, nature can provide the unconditional love  and sense of connection we are all seeking. An overview of future  classes and easy plants to grow will be included. On April 22, we are  invited to bring our worries to the garden. We will experience hands-on  all the ways our body's nervous system and immune system self-regulate  in the garden. We will practice gardening techniques to nurture mind,  body and spirit while developing practical bed preparation, seeding and  transplanting skills. On June 3, we will learn coping skills in the  garden. We will enhance our plant tending skills while gardening to  reduce anxiety, improve mood and sooth the inner-critic. We will learn  techniques of thinning and pruning and their applications in our lives.  We will even be able to nibble on early harvests in the Garden of Eat’n!  The final session on June 24 will be on foraging self-compassion. This  is for the perfectionist who desires to embrace the imperfect and  experience more joy in the garden (and in life!). Learn the messy ways  that nature thrives in the unpredictable world and the delicious  abundance it offers in return. We will be foraging and tasting  cultivated and wild plants, and noticing their non-judgmental natures.

The first online session is free, and each in-person session costs $20  (or register for the four-part series for $50). For more information or  to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.