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The Therapy of Flower Gardening
 Jacek Gordinier
The manic pace and incessant demands of modern living offer few opportunities for true peace and relaxed contemplation of life. It takes a lot of hard work to keep going in any city. Anyone can lose sight of how that hard work is significant, and can feel worn down by it occasionally. But everyone has reasons to keep it up, and flower gardening is an easy and quick way to reflect on those reasons and learn skills from a meaningful new activity.
Flower gardening offers the powerful experience of literally helping new life start. Low-maintenance varieties of flowers, such as Black-eyed Susans or various Asters, let anyone fit the experience of fostering life into a busy schedule. Simply establishing the right conditions for the plants to flourish and maintaining them for a few minutes a day is enough to not only brighten a windowsill or yard, but also to add some vibrancy to the most hectic of routines.
Flower gardening also has great potential as a creative outlet. There is a stunning variety of ways to combine flowering plants. Experimenting with a flower palate is a way to shift from the information overload of the work day to an exploration of creativity. Something as simple as, for example, pairing the dusty purple of towering Russian Sage with the lively yellow of dwarf Daylily varieties can bring stunning color to any home. Playing with flower combinations is also an opportunity to share this hobby with children, who enjoy the familiar beauty of flowers and will love being allowed to play in the dirt.
And, maybe most importantly, it helps connect people. Friends and family will appreciate the gorgeous touch that flowers lend to the home or garden. A bouquet, freshly picked and personally arranged, is a gift that any person will cherish. And the experience of being able to give that gift is just as rewarding.
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