Gardening to Ease Stress & Anxiety: A Four-Part Series with Prairiewoods

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Now more than ever, we need to return to our gardens.

Now more than ever, we need to return to our gardens. We all know instinctively how we feel better with time outside with wild plants. Intentionally cultivate and grow that connection in this four-part series. Easy-to-understand, scientifically proven benefits will be covered alongside hands-on gardening techniques. Offering many of the benefits of meditation, gardening can be a powerful mindfulness practice. All are welcome, whether we plan on growing an herb container garden in a window, joining a community garden for the first time or growing veggies in our own backyard. Facilitator Jen Kardos of Backyard Abundance will lead this four-part series that begins on March 25 via Zoom and then continues in person in the Green Community Gardens at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) on April 22, June 3 and June 24, from 4–6 p.m. On March 25, we will talk about the undeniable benefits of time with plants. This will be an easy-to-understand overview of the numerous evidenced-based benefits of time in gardens and nature. Much like our pets, nature can provide the unconditional love and sense of connection we are all seeking. An overview of future classes and easy plants to grow will be included. On April 22, we are invited to bring our worries to the garden. We will experience hands-on all the ways our body's nervous system and immune system self-regulate in the garden. We will practice gardening techniques to nurture mind, body and spirit while developing practical bed preparation, seeding and transplanting skills. On June 3, we will learn coping skills in the garden. We will enhance our plant tending skills while gardening to reduce anxiety, improve mood and sooth the inner-critic. We will learn techniques of thinning and pruning and their applications in our lives. We will even be able to nibble on early harvests in the Garden of Eat’n! The final session on June 24 will be on foraging self-compassion. This is for the perfectionist who desires to embrace the imperfect and experience more joy in the garden (and in life!). Learn the messy ways that nature thrives in the unpredictable world and the delicious abundance it offers in return. We will be foraging and tasting cultivated and wild plants, and noticing their non-judgmental natures. The first online session is free, and each in-person session costs $20 (or register for the four-part series for $50). For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.