This October, House & Garden SA, along with gardening enthusiasts around the country are gathering in our most lush landscapes to celebrate Garden Day!
Garden Day is an annual celebration that honours our gardens and green spaces. It’s a day we acknowledge the joy and breathing space gardens bring to our communities and lives. Gardens in every shape, form, and size have the potential to bring us together, which is why on Sunday 20 October we call on all plant people to put on a flower crown and join the Garden Day with neighbours, friends and family.
GARDENING: THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS
A regular dose of gardening is like an apple a day! It’s not only good for our health, but for the heart, the soul and the planet too. Studies have found that gardening improves your mood and increases self-esteem. The effect of green spaces on our minds and body has shown to lower cortisol levels, soothe and invigorate.
Anxiety levels drop when we spend time in the garden, and depression eases. The evidence is irrefutable, growing our own plants makes us feel happier and healthier. There’s nothing like picking a bunch of flowers grown from seed or digging fresh new potatoes for lunch.
When it comes to community gardens, the studies show how a shared neighbourhood garden elevates residents pride in their area, fosters human connection and ignites a sense of community.
GARDEN FOR THE SENSES
For an extra kick of joy, create a garden that’s all about the senses. Focus on maxing out on atmosphere and abundance. Go big on fragrance. Instead of planting a single rose, plant three!
Lavenders are wonderfully fragrant too, with the added benefit of being unfussy garden subjects and adored by butterflies and bees. Fragranced climbers are a welcome addition positioned near the front door.
Edible groundcovers: There’s no reason groundcovers can’t be good - looking as well as tasting. Edible groundcover varieties such as wild strawberries, nasturtiums and thyme can be planted between pavers or to cover bare garden soil.
Local pelargoniums: No sensory garden is complete without them- their stems, flowers and leaves contain mood-enhancing essential oils which are released at the slightest rub. They offer a splash of colour and are as pretty in pots as they are in a garden bed.
ECOANXIETY
The feeling of powerlessness to effect meaningful change in the climate crisis is real. We feel it too, which has inspired the Garden Day team to offer simple garden tips and tricks to help us mitigate climate change.
Down Tools: Use manual tools as opposed to petrol-powered alternatives.
Drip Feed: Conserve water by installing drip irrigation in your garden which feeds water directly to the plant root zone as opposed to sprayers that loose water to evaporation and wind.
Got it Covered: Lock in soil moisture in your garden and pots by applying a generous layer of mulch.
Organic Matters: Reduce what you throw in the trash and compost your organic kitchen waist. As a rule of (green) thumb, this includes all fruit and vegetables scraps, coffee grounds, crushed eggshells and tea bags – which would otherwise be decomposing in a landfill, emitting carbon dioxide and methane gas.
Trees of Life: Trees offer an array of benefits to our planet, one of the most significant being their remarkable capacity for absorbing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. They also provide us with welcome shade and are a haven for birds and other wildlife. There’s a tree for every garden - and most pots. Plant one or two, or three… or more!
LETS CELEBRATE! IT’S GARDEN DAY ON 20 TH OCTOBER 2024
To inspire South Africans to celebrate all things green, we asked our Garden Day champions and friends for celebration inspiration befitting of the day… Your garden gathering could be anything from a sumptuous lunch or garden tea party to a picnic - or simply relaxing, feet up, under your favourite garden tree.
Most importantly, don’t forget to wear a flower crown! So mark your calendar for Sunday 20 October 2024, and join us in celebrating our gardens and green spaces.
