Great Resources
Useful tools to help you improve the health of your landscape
Your Brain on Nature
For those of us who are plant geeks, it’s an easy decision to pick up yet another plant book on Amazon or at our local bookstore. There are so many great books on plants (some of my favs on native plants were written by the brilliant William Cullina, now the Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Garden). But, we garden mavens rarely explore books on nature or ecology. Here is a “nature” book that is well worth reading: Your Brain on Nature: The Science of Nature’s Influence on Your Healthy, Happiness, and Vitality. The authors are Eva Selhub and Alan Logan. Dr. Selhub is a Clinical Associate of the Benson Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Alan Logan is a naturopathic doctor and researcher.
Your Brain on Nature is touted as an antidote for the technology-addicted (most of us!) and quite fascinating. The author’s explore biophilia, the human bond with nature, and reveal how being in nature not only makes us feel better, but contributes to our physical health. One chapter cites “forest bathing” studies in Japan which “have confirmed that spending time within a forest setting can reduce psychological stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility, while at the same time improving sleep and increasing both vigor and a feeling of liveliness.”
If you needed another reason to take a walk in the woods or dig in your garden, this book will provide it!
More Great Resources
Chicago Botanic Garden Report: Joe-Pye Weeds & Their Relatives
Many of our great botanical gardens in the United States produce and publish research of value to home gardeners and landscape professionals. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Plant Evaluation Notes” is one example. These reports can be very helpful in deciding which plants, particularly cultivars, to include in a landscape (with…
“The Birder’s Handbook”
Whether you are an avid gardener or you simply enjoy the outdoors, then you probably have an appreciation of wild birds. What better way to wake up in the morning than to the sweet song of a bird. Who doesn’t love the feisty antics of a hummingbird, the boldness of…
List of Bee-Friendly Native Perennials
It’s the 8th annual National Pollinator Week, so why not get busy planting some bee-friendly native perennials? Here’s a list to help you along. Don’t forget to plant for a succession of bloom from spring through fall, even through winter in warmer climates. from Kim Eierman at EcoBeneficial!