Serenity in the Garden

Color outdoors can make you happy Are you feeling a little down? depressed? Well here is a way to fix that -  go out and plant something... Studies have found that an hour of gardening a day reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke and increases bone density more efficiently than aerobics or swimming! In fact, even looking at nature can result in a drop in blood pressure within five minutes and lower our stress hormones. One 16-year study in Australia revealed that those who did daily gardening even cut their risk of getting dementia in later life.    (Gardening boosts endorphins, the body’s good-mood chemicals. Personally, my theory is that we need the sunlight on our pineal gland and this can delay dementia, but I have no proof, its just a 'knowing') Here is a lovely story from  Timesonline United Kingdom,  dated March 27, 2010 "...Jane Robertson was earning a small fortune in the pressured world of derivatives markets when she had a

Isamu Noguchi - Tsukubai   1964 "...  The further you go into the past or the future, the simpler the design of everything becomes... The funny thing about simplicity is that somewhere along the way it got tangled up with philosophy, took on moral significance, and ....became a prescriptive design imperative. " Noguchi Museum Notes Noguchi - 'Momo Toro',   Storm King Art Center

Now that 2014 is closing, I chose the blog post that I think captured the year best.  This interview was conducted in March 2014, upon the publication of my book, 'Heaven is a Garden'.  It is from a wonderful blog called Open Voices which is part of the  Nature Sacred  website.  I am honored that this wonderful group chose to spotlight my new book. I urge you to check them out - there is always something inspiring in t heir blog . A Deeper Place of Being: An Interview with Jan Johnsen Posted on 03/06/14 Jan Johnsen’s forty years of practice in landscape architecture has taught her that gardens not only inspire and delight but also impart a sense of well-being, offer respite, and induce feelings of renewal to those who visit and simply sit awhile. garden and photo by Jan Johnsen Drawing on historical precedents from many cultures as well as design techniques honed through recent practice, her gardens are deeply nuanced, no matter the size.    In anticipation

Pantone says that an eclectic mix of understated brights, pale pastels and nature-like neutral colors will take center stage in 2015. click here for photo source They say designers of all kinds will draw from daydreams of simpler times and  will look to folkloric and floral art to restore a sense of well-being: “... There is a growing movement to step out and create ‘quiet zones’ to disconnect from technology and unwind, giving ourselves time to stop and be still...Soft, cool hues blend with subtle warm tones to create a soothing escape from the everyday hustle and bustle. ” Leatrice Eiseman,   Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute ® I concur! That is why I wrote a book about  Creating Serene Outdoor Spaces for Inspiration and Reflection this year. and one more thing: white works with everything: click here for photo source

(Angelonia with Helichrysum, petunia, Johnsen Landscapes) Blue is everyone's "favorite color."  It is, hands down, the most popular color worldwide and is the least "gender specific" color, having equal appeal to both men and women. Now Purple is giving blue a run for its money as the second favorite color.... Blue is the favored color for toothbrushes, so that says it all!  ( this info is from a great website:  Sensation Color )  but can purple be far behind? Scientists have found that the color blue causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming. This may be why we all like to be around blue....stare at this square and see if it calms you. In fact, over the past decade, scientists have reported the successful use of blue light in the treatment of psychological problems such as addictions, eating disorders, impotence, and depression. Moreover, a deep blue/purple such as Indigo or Deep Violet symbolizes mystical wisdom and

“What a marvelous cooperative arrangement -  plants and animals each inhaling each other's exhalations,  a kind of planet-wide mutual mouth-to-stoma resuscitation,  the entire elegant cycle powered  by a star 150 million kilometers away.” -- Carl Sagan, "Cosmos"

Robert Ulrich was in the hospital with a badly broken leg. Forced to lie flat on his back, Ulrich, an environmental psychologist, stared for hours at a too-bright ceiling light surrounded by acoustic ceiling tile.  “I remember...how much I wished I had an attractive image on the ceiling,” Ulrich recalls. Coleus - Jan Johnsen Now the director of the Center for Health Systems & Design at Texas A&M University, Ulrich produced groundbreaking research that found that viewing natural scenes in a hospital aids stress recovery by  evoking positive feelings, reducing negative emotions and blocking or reducing stressful thoughts. When test subjects viewed gardens as opposed to urban scenes, they exhibited lower alpha rates which are associated with being wakefully relaxed. Garden by Jan Johnsen  Ulrich also found that surgical patients who had views of nature from their hospital beds had shorter post-operative stays, fewer negative comments from nu

This show tells the stories of ten important American places.  Contemporary landscape photographs evoke  the original spirit of a site and capture the change that has occurred since the site was first designed.  It opens December 15 at  1285 Avenue of the Americas Art Gallery  in New York City.  (between 51st and 52d Sts)  with a  free  public reception. 6 - 8 pm.    The show runs through Friday, March 6, 2015. See more at: http://aslany.org/event/lalh-100-years-design-land-opening-reception

rose hips - photo by Jan Johnsen  Allow your roses to form hips. Did you know that, like  many plants that produce fruit, the formation of rose hips is a signal to the rose to go dormant for the season? Rose hips provide wonderful color in the garden and are a good source of vitamin C for birds in the fall and winter.  They are one of the highest plant sources of Vitamin C. 'Cherry Pie' Rose makes great rose hips: Oso Easy Cherry Pie Rose -from May Dreams Garden Blog  You can eat them too. Rose hips are used for jam, jelly, syrup, soup, beverages, pies, bread, and wine.  They can also be eaten raw if care is used to avoid the hairs inside the fruit.   The redder they are, the softer and sweeter.   source: live by the sun blog  for more info on roses go to Chris Van Cleave - click here . 

I suggested some fun gift ideas a few days ago and forgot to mention 2 other gifts that gardeners love. Garden Design Magazine Subscription The new rendition of the famous Garden Design magazine is better than ever!  A great gift for anyone who loves gardens and plants. get a gift subscription here  And a heavy duty lopping shears Fiskars 32-Inch PowerGear Bypass Lopper  We all need this and try to use our pruning shears instead...and then we ruin a great pair of pruning shears (I know - I have done it). So this is a gift that gardeners all want but never buy for themselves....great for roses and small trees and more...it is built for tough jobs. Fiskars Lopping Shears

The Grotto at Powerscourt Estate, Ireland  Powerscourt Estate in Ireland. 20 minutes from Dublin,  has been named the #3 Garden in the World by National Geographic. http://powerscourt.com/plan-your-visit

jewels in the Garden  In 2010 Husqvarna and Gardena released a  Global Garden Report  and identified the FEEL GOOD GARDEN as one of the top gardening trends in the world... jchants photostream - Lake Forest Secret garden tour They wrote: "...individualism in the garden is on the rise, replacing conformity.  Gone is the obsession with keeping up with the neighbors’ ...  it’s now about expressing yourself using your outdoor space, encouraged by on-line friends." http://www.fleamarketgardening.org/2014/08/30/katrinas-garden-art-with-recycled-saws/ That's me - your on-line friend! And I encourage you to keep expressing yourself in your 'feel good' (FG) garden.  Here is what the  Global Garden Report  said specifically about FG gardens: The Feel Good Garden "As we continue to live stressful lives, there is an ever increasing need for a safe haven at home.  Globally more of us are turning to our gardens for the peace and tranquil