TIPS AND MORE

Time for a  Healing Garden  

History:

The first healers were herbalists, and the first medicines were derived from plants.

If we take a look back into history we find that gardens have been used and cherished as healing gardens long before now.   The ancient cloister gardens provided herbs and medicinal plants for a variety of healing purposes as well as food. Every monastery  during medieval times had a healing garden. Thousands of years ago people already realized the benefits of gardens for meditation. Today we realize their potential to help with healing stroke victims.

The Egyptians for example were known to be experts in aromatic plants, including their uses for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. The first Chinese herbal book, dating back to possibly 2700 B.C., lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses. 

In the middle of the 18^th century a monk in Germany named Sebastian Kneipp developed a method of naturopathic healing with herbs and hydrotherapy, where patients would wade through a basin or stream of cold water.

The Zen Garden aims to excite, inspire and encourage participation.  

What a healing garden means to us:

I truly believe in the healing power of a garden as I am sure many of you gardeners do too.

The quiet beauty of a healing garden or any garden is a respite from the busy, bustling world around us. 

Ideally a healing garden should encompass healing, soothing, calming, inspiring and relaxing for the wellbeing and nourishment of the mind, body and soul.

You can call your healing garden your space, your sanctuary, your safe and private place, your cathedral, your escape, your paradise. Whatever it means to you, healing begins when you can find that place and start to relax, unwind, dream, calm down or get stimulated and explore your creativity, even get invigorated or find a spiritual connection.

What makes a garden a “healing garden”:

To understand the differences between a garden and a healing garden, ask yourself what it is you need and want from your garden.

Is not every garden a healing garden? Yes and no.

A healing garden begins with a cultivation of healthful resources, with plants like flowers and trees, elements like water and wind, materials like sand and rocks. It introduces an awareness of all the senses:  smelling, touching, hearing, seeing and tasting.

If your garden needs too much maintenance, it becomes too much work, that chore might become a burden. On the other hand some light, well balanced physical exercise is not bad at all.

If your garden appears too cluttered and disorganized, it might not be calming and soothing. If your garden does not have the right plants in it, healing plants or companion plants, plants that tolerate certain conditions, there is no benefit.

A really good healing garden has to be easily maintained with a minimum of physical labour, it needs to be environmentally sound and visually pleasing.

The design should incorporate unity and flow, variety and balance and should bring all those components aesthetically together.

Different kinds of healing gardens:

The kind of healing gardens I really like are the gardens that our seniors like to spend time in. They love to watch the birds, butterflies and look at the colourful display of flowers. They like to be able to stroll around a path with or without a walker or in a wheelchair. They like to remember the gardens of their younger years, maybe with vegetables in them or certain plants.  Ideally I would love to see the elders doing light exercises in the garden, walk barefoot through the grass, get involved in simple tasks like watering the plants or dead heading flowers. The plant beds should be raised, on tables so they are easily accessible when people are in wheelchairs. There should be rails for people to find support when walking unassisted. There should be shade, wind protection and plenty of seating opportunities. Ahh, a nice strawberry social in the healing garden.

But healing gardens are really for everyone, here is the average family: let's just say Mom wants a place to read and do her yoga exercises, a quiet little corner where she can “hide”.

Dad wants to roll around with the kids after work and on weekends, a grassy area to kick a ball.

 The little kids want sand and boulders to climb over, they want hiding places (just like Mom), the older kids want to play badminton or bocce ball; The dog wants to run around after all these balls and possibly dig for a previously hidden bone. Grandma wants a nice bench in the light shade where she can watch all these activities.

Is healing not also enjoying, relaxing, being active, breathing fresh air and getting some vitamin D ?  Oh yes, of course there is the harvesting of vegetables and fruit, healthy, organically grown produce.  

Facilities that benefit from healing gardens: 

Hospitals, Rehab facilities, palliative care enters, nursing/retirement homes, mental health clinics, day cares, nurseries, community centers, inner city schools & communities, seniors only buildings, homeless shelters, prisons. 

Some useful plants in a healing garden:

Arnica to treat pain from bruises, sprains or swelling. As this is a toxic plant if ingested, be sure to use it only for compresses or poultices.

Basil for its use as a fever reducer. Basil leaves may also be rubbed on irritated skin to relieve stings or bites from garden insects or mild skin irritations. Basil is sometimes used as an analgesic or to lower blood sugar.

Dill - the first record of dill's healing ability goes back to c1500 B.C. when the ancient Egyptians discovered that dill is a helpful pain killer. Today, dill is used to promote good digestion and to relieve gas. Sufferers of bad breath should consider chewing dill seeds to freshen their mouth naturally.

Garlic is a major contributor to the world of healing plants. It counteracts many infections, particularly those most common to the nose, throat and chest colds, for instance. Garlic combats bacteria as well as parasites. It can help lower blood pressure as well as lower blood sugar. It has many more healthful properties and is a top choice for any healing garden.

Highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) is native to much of Canada, and was once used by the Natives and Settlers. The Natives used many parts of highbush cranberry for both food and medicine.  The berries are high in vitamin C and were eaten fresh or made into pemmican.