GARDENING

THE POSITIVE POWER OF FLOWERS

By Emma Sousa

Ok so I may be a little biased. I am a florist and flower grower after all but there is definitely something special about flowers and the way they make us feel. I am always talking about being in the great outdoors, the positivity of gardening and the effect it has on our physical and mental wellbeing. Even a 20 minute walk each day amongst nature will lift your spirits and has so many great effects on us that it should be prescribed by doctors to anyone and everyone who enters their surgery! Now more than ever we need to focus on the positive, surround ourselves with nature and, in my humble opinion, reap the rewards of the positive power of flowers!

So, what has this actually got to do with a food and drinks magazine I hear you say? Well, apart from all the good things already mentioned above it actually has quite a lot to do with the food we grow and eat. Without flowers and flowering plants there would be less food for pollinators which as we know are a vital part of our fragile eco system. They all help sustain our ecosystems by helping plants to pollinate. Without pollen (flowering plants) and pollinators such as birds, bees and butterflies and even bats, beetles and other small mammals, our natural food systems would essentially collapse. A huge amount of the food we grow relies on pollination and of course flowers are a great source for our native species to feed on throughout the summer months.

But what else is so important about flowers? Well, in studies it has been found that they improve episodic memory, especially in older people. Many plants and flowers have special

properties (think camomile, rose, lavender, passionfruit flower, calendula). People who have flowers by their bed in hospital have been shown to need less pain medication, are less anxious and have lower blood pressure than those who do not.

The giving and receiving of flowers lift the spirit (and yes, I did say giving them too - try it - doing something nice for someone else makes you feel good, right?!).

Having a jar or vase of flowers in your home or office makes you feel happier, calmer and less stressed. It generates positive energy (a bit like that walk in the fresh air, a digging session in the garden or allotment). It connects you with a little bit of nature and it looks pretty too, immediately lifting your spirits.

In Victorian times ‘the language of flowers’ was used as a means of communication between people - sending flowers conveyed secret messages to others, whether of love, hate, infidelity… even today there has been a bit of a revival of the language of flowers - I often include fresh rosemary in a bouquet or buttonhole to remember loved ones who are no longer with us on our special day…

February time is a great time to start sowing some seeds to bring colour and vitality to your garden or allotment later on in the year. Why not sow some hardy annual seeds to give the garden a kickstart this year and brighten your space and ultimately your life? A few ‘cut and come again’ flowers (the more you cut the longer they continue flowering) will keep you going for the summer season. Some lovely and easy varieties to grow are cornflower, calendula and nigella amongst others. All are great for attracting these all-important pollinators into the garden and keeping unwanted pests away. And if you really can’t be bothered to sow and grow, right now your local supermarket or florist will be selling freshly cut British daffodils by the bunch for a few pennies, so go grab a few bunches and spread them around your house and get the positive benefits of being around flowers!

Other things to be doing in February at the veggie patch...

So, February is a strange month with not a ton of stuff to do around the veggie patch. Technically the soil should start to warm towards the end of the month so you can start to think about sowing a few things - but remember it’s still quite cold so go slowly and take your time. You can cover beds with cloches or cardboard to keep the soil warm in the month or so before planting / sowing or start things undercover if you have a greenhouse.

Sow salad leaves and hardy herbs such as parsley. Spring onions, lettuce, radish, chard and some peas can all be sown for example. Broad beans can be started off into root trainers for planting out around five weeks later. Prune fruit trees now before the new growth starts. You should have started to chit early potatoes but if you haven’t start now!

Turn the compost beds and empty any that are ready straight on to your veggie beds ready for sowing. Make sure they have all been weeded and hoed but don’t

disturb the soil too much, the more you leave your soil alone the better it will be. I don’t recommend ever tilling your soil if at all possible - I am a big fan of no dig beds which means cardboard, a thick layer of compost and then leave until ready to plant. For shallow rooted plants and flowers, you can even plant in them immediately although the earlier you can start your no dig beds and leave them to ‘settle’ the better.

Check water butts, taps and hose pipes, make sure you tidy your patch while you still have the time before all the growing madness starts and most importantly ENJOY!

If you have any queries about growing flowers or vegetables please email editor@cibare.co.uk and I will be happy to answer your questions.