UAB experts will be detailing the benefits of gardening and offering advice on how to get started.
Author: Katherine Kirk
Media Contact: Tehreem Khan
Photo: Jennifer Alsabrook Turner April showers bring May flowers, but what do May flowers bring? Experts from the University of Alabama at Birmingham say gardening can improve both your mental and physical health.
Many people believe you need to have horticultural talent to be a master gardener, but UAB Grounds Coordinator Scott Glenn says that's not necessary.
“There's no such thing as a talent for gardening,” Glenn says, “but with enough patience and practice, anyone can garden.”
When it comes to the early stages of gardening, “keep it simple” is the best mindset: the team recommends starting slow with just a few plants and focusing on keeping your space clean and tidy.
“When you first start, make sure your garden and plants are neat, so you can always customize it as you learn,” says UAB grounds manager David Lovell.
Gardening is fun because every plant is different. Being patient and understanding that gardening is a learning experience are the keys to making gardening enjoyable.
“Gardening teaches you humility,” Lovell says. “No matter what you do, plants will die, but that's part of nature. You always have to be flexible and ready to adjust when things don't go as planned.”
Dr. Margaret Cantor Rooted in Mental Health
Gardening is environmentally friendly and beneficial for your mental and physical health. Hobbies like gardening can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve focus, says Margaret Cantor, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Alabama.
Spending time doing outdoor physical activities like gardening can improve your sleep and benefit your overall health.
“Having plants outdoors naturally lifts your mood,” Kanter says, “and there's plenty of research to back up the fact that spending time outdoors helps regulate your sleep cycle, which is essential for mental health.”
She says gardening can give people a sense of purpose because they have something to care for other than themselves – hence the origins of the terms “plant pet” and “plant parent”.
“Many people have found that caring for plants has helped them feel more connected during times of isolation during COVID-19,” Kanter said.
Caring for plants can be a form of relaxation for some people, or a source of solace during difficult times, and Kanter says that like pets, plants depend on their caregivers for nourishment, but they don't require the same level of dedication.
“By focusing on something else, you can take your mind off your own problems and feel more productive overall,” Kanter says.
Canter says any hobby helps you build social connections, and studies have shown that participating in a community garden can have a more positive impact on mental health than gardening alone because of the social element.
“Gardening as a hobby provides an opportunity to connect with new communities, allowing people to expand their social networks and connect over common interests,” Kanter said.
Owning plants can be overall enjoyable and beneficial. There's no magic number on how many plants you should have to improve your mental health. Kanter suggests that everyone should find the number of plants that suits their lifestyle.
“I don't think there's a magic number. You want enough to keep you busy, but not so many that you feel overwhelmed,” Kanter says. “Everyone needs to find the magic number of plants that make them happy.”
Photo: Jennifer Alsabbrook Turner Sowing Seeds
Timing is important when gardening, and the UAB Grounds Team is urging caution against planting too early due to cold fronts and frost, recommending mid-April for planting flowers and vegetables.
“It depends on what you're planting, but for vegetable and flower beds, we recommend planting from mid-April onwards,” Lovell says. “Trees and shrubs do better when planted in winter because the roots are given a chance to establish themselves in the ground before the heatwaves hit.”
To get started growing indoor plants, you will need certain equipment, and we recommend keeping it simple at first.
“When you first start, you don't need anything too expensive,” Glenn says. “All you need is a shovel, some gloves and a pot to get started.”
When choosing a pot, choose one with drainage holes, which allow water to seep out and prevent root rot and bacteria from building up at the bottom of the pot. After potting, avoid watering every day, as this can lead to overwatering. The UAB Grounds Team recommends sticking to a biweekly watering schedule for indoor plants.
“At first, water it every 10 days, but if you can stretch that out to two weeks, that's best,” Glenn says. “Once you water it, once it's nice and wet, leave it alone.”
According to the researchers, houseplants don't necessarily need fertilizer, but if plant owners are interested in using it, the best thing to do is get a liquid fertilizer and give it to the plants in small amounts.
“What most people do is put a little bit of liquid fertilizer in a watering can and spoon a little into their plants every time they water them,” Lovell says.
Potting possibilities
Learning what to plant is just as important as learning how to plant, and when purchasing plants, the groundskeeping team recommends checking the label for information on how much light they require and any toxicity to children or animals.
Below are some recommended plants for beginners and how to grow them.
Aglaonema, commonly known as Chinese evergreen, has lance-shaped dark green with light green spots leaves. It is great as an indoor plant as it requires indirect light and is known for its ability to purify toxins from the air in a room. This plant is easy to overwater, especially if you keep it in a shady spot, so make sure to keep to a watering schedule. Schefflera arboricola, also known as umbrella plant, is an evergreen shrub characterized by oval leaves arranged in an umbrella shape. These plants require bright indirect light, so they are best placed indoors near a window or on a balcony. Umbrella plants should only be watered when the soil is completely dry. This plant prefers to have water misted on its leaves. Sansevieria trifasciata has several different names, including snake plant and mother-in-rose tongue. This plant is a drought-tolerant plant characterized by thick leaves without stems. It can survive in a variety of light conditions and only needs to be watered when the soil is dry. Sansevieria are known to be dusty, so it is a good idea to wipe both sides of the leaves frequently. Dracaena fragrans, commonly known as the corn plant, is a common household plant known for its lance-shaped leaves with dark and light green stripes. As the species name suggests, this plant is very fragrant when in bloom, but rarely blooms indoors. The common name comes from the plant's resemblance to a corn stalk in appearance. This plant is best placed near a window or on a balcony where it gets bright light. There are many different types of cacti and succulents, and they are great plants for beginners as they do not need to be watered regularly. These plants thrive in direct sunlight, making them ideal for bright rooms and balconies. Some succulents are poisonous to children and animals, and the sharp needles of cacti can be dangerous, so it is important to know this before purchasing. Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as the golden pothos, is an evergreen variegated vine characterized by leaves that droop like a waterfall. It is also called devil's ivy because it is almost impossible to kill. This plant is perfect for dorm rooms and apartments as low or indirect light is its ideal requirement.
