Feel Good!  Plant On!

FountainView at College Road, Rockland’s premier, independent retirement community hosts a horticulture class.  Residents learn about different varieties of plants and participate in planting seasonal flowers in pots.  One resident, Gabriella Rothenberg (pictured) proudly shows off her potted and colorful impatiens that have been growing in her apartment.  Catherine Niebanck of The Art of Nature LLC leads the class.

The November Generations Newsletter put out by Jack Carman FASLA makes reference to a recent study in the UK (Organic Gardening magazine).  It indicates that digging in the dirt makes for smarter gardeners.  The soil organism, Mycobacterium vaccae, helps to decrease anxiety and is responsible for increasing our level of serotonin, the ‘feel good’ hormone produced in our body.  When our bodies produce serotonin, we feel less stressed.  Plant on!