Do you ever feel refreshed and renewed when you step into a beautiful landscape, take a hike in the woods, or just relax by a lake? Why is this? How does nature heal our mind, body and soul? It is believed that time spent outdoors has many health benefits. Being in nature has been shown to greatly reduce stress and anxiety as well as decrease depression and enhance one’s mood.
In this age of rapid advancements in technology we may find we are spending more time indoors and staring at screens. I do believe technology is a great thing; it has allowed for substantial achievements. In fact, I would be unable to write this very blog without the wonder of technology. This post is in no way an attack on technological advancement; it is simply to raise awareness that we are spending more time on electronics and must balance screen-time with nature-time.
There is a term referred to as Nature Deficit Disorder; no you will not find this term in any medical diagnosis manuals or in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association. The term Nature Deficit Disorder is not currently recognized as an actual disorder; however, some scientists believe it could be added as an actual disorder in the future.
Author Richard Louv coined the phrase in his book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.” Louv suggests that there has been an alienation from nature due to social and technological changes in the past three decades. Louv states that this has accelerated the human disconnect from the natural world. This is especially true in children today; as Louv suggests, screen-time has become an ever increasing issue and add that to overprotective parents being less likely to allow children outdoors unsupervised equals less time outdoors in nature.
As we spend more time indoors, away from nature there has been research showing more people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, increased rates of obesity, increased rates of depression and anxiety, poor attention spans; as well as many other social and mental disorders. The good news is that all these can be reduced by time spent in nature.
This brings me to my point, how do we encourage outdoor time? Take an exotic wilderness vacation? Hike the mountains of Colorado? Spend a week of rustic survival camping in the forest? Sure these sound amazing; however, getting outdoors does not have to be a complicated and planned out adventure, it can start by just taking a walk to the local park. Another way to spend more time outdoors is to begin in our own yard. Walking across the lawn barefoot, digging in the garden, or relaxing by a tranquil water feature. Just having trees, grass, plants, and flowers in your yard is connecting with nature.
A beautiful yard motivates you to get outside which has many health benefits. Beautiful landscaping can inspire homeowners to spend quality time outdoors. Many landscapes even include outdoor entertaining areas with a fireplace, dining, and outdoor kitchens. Not only are these great motivations to spend time outdoors, but landscaping your property can also increase your home’s resale value.
Trees on our property are one of the biggest boosts to connecting with nature in the landscape. While trees provide a connection with nature; they serve many other functions in the landscape as well. Trees provide shade in the hot summer months, which can reduce the temperature in our yards and cut down on cooling cost. Evergreens on the northside of the home can also block cold winter winds and reduce heating cost in the winter. Trees as we know also produce oxygen for the very air we breath. Trees provide shelter for birds and other wildlife; birds are often a colorful addition to the landscape. Trees are also crucial in the fight against climate change. As stated above trees can help reduce the temperature in our yards, but they also do this on a large scale. With heatwaves becoming more common, trees play an important role in reducing temperatures; especially in urban areas. When planning a landscape, be sure to incorporate trees into the design.
This brings me to my next thought about incorporating nature into the landscape. Lately lawns have been getting a bad reputation by some who are saying they are bad for the environment. I however, would disagree. Properly cared for lawns have many environmental benefits. According to The National Park Service (www.nps.gov), properly cared for turf grass serves the environment in many ways.
Turf grass reduces stormwater runoff and erosion by allowing rainwater to soak into the earth; as well as trapping pollutants from rainwater and preventing it from entering water supplies. The entire lawn works as a type of water filter; both the roots and the blades prevent soil loss while cleaning the water and soaking it into the soil as opposed to it running off into storm drains. This also means that the water that is absorbed by the lawn is filtered and replenishes groundwater supplies.
Turf grass cleans the air. All plants, including turf grass take up carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere. We know that oxygen is essential for human life, and like trees which I discussed above, turf grass also plays a role in creating fresh air. Trapping carbon dioxide is also a crucial component to a healthy lawn. Studies show that too much carbon dioxide can lead to elevated air temperatures and other environmental issues. Healthy lawns absorb carbon dioxide helping to reduce excessive warming. Turf grass also acts as an air filter by trapping dust, pollen, and air pollution.
Turf grass also reduces noise pollution. So not only does a healthy lawn reduce air and water pollution, but it also helps with noise. Lawns act as a noise barrier and soften sounds making them less irritating to the ear.
Turf grass also reduces the temperature. Turf is much cooler than other surfaces such as concrete. In fact a lawn can be fifteen degrees colder than concrete. During the heat of summer this can make a huge difference in our comfort level outdoors. A healthy lawn is also much cooler than synthetic turf; by as much as a thirty degree difference. I will discuss the harmful impact of synthetic turf below.
Another beneficial aspect of a healthy lawn is that it creates an extensive and diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that are essential to life. These microorganisms release nutrients and breakdown compost into organic matter, they then feed on the organic matter and release more nutrients into the soil to feed plants. They also breakdown heavy metals that can be harmful to the health of people, plants, and animals. These microorganisms create healthy soil that can make plants stronger and healthier. Unfortunately soil loss is far too common and this loss of soil may have serious impacts on the ecosystem, Turf grass helps protect the soil and the billions of organisms that call it home.
I mentioned synthetic turf above; synthetic turf is an alternative to a real lawn. Some so-called "environmentalists" are trying to convince unsuspecting consumers into purchasing synthetic turf as they claim it is better for the environment. This is because synthetic turf does not require mowing, irrigation, or fertilization. The truth is synthetic turf is actually a manufactured rubber and plastic material that generates a massive amount of pollution to produce. It still needs to be kept clean using blowers or vacuums and weeds can still grow through the plastic and rubber requiring pesticides to kill them.
Synthetic turf also blocks water from penetrating into the soil and causes more runoff of polluted rainwater into storm drains. Not to mention synthetic turf does not feed the billions of microorganisms living in the soil below, meaning the dirt left under synthetic turf is highly compacted, hot, dry, and inactive.
Artificial or synthetic turf has become popular with homeowners thinking they can forego the regular lawn maintenance that comes with a real lawn. Artificial turf is also very popular with sports arenas and recreational parks. Growing research however, is pointing to artificial turf as an unsafe playing surface. The bad news is that this research is showing artificial turf could contain toxic chemicals from the rubber. Old tires are used by recycling them into tiny crumbs that are used to support the plastic blades of synthetic grass. These tiny rubber crumbs could cause potential health risk.
Artificial turf also gets much warmer and stays much hotter than real grass. As mentioned above artificial turf can reach temperatures of up to thirty degrees more than real turf. This additional heat only causes the toxic chemicals in the artificial turf to leach out even more.
Finally, artificial turf does not bring us into more contact with nature. In fact, artificial turf only increases the amount of Nature Deficit Disorder we are already facing. There is no contact with living grass when we walk across a fake lawn. You cannot feel nature below your bare feet as you curl your toes across old rubber tires turned plastic green blades.
A real lawn is much healthier and far more beneficial than synthetic turf. It is alive, it is a part of nature. When we walk across a healthy thick lawn we can feel the earth beneath our feet; it connects us to who we are as earthly creatures needing to reconnect with nature.
Yes, I mow lawns and they count for a good percentage of my income, so maybe I am a bit partial to having a lawn. This does not mean I think every square inch of our property should be covered in grass. I am just as much about removing large sections of turf and replacing it with other plants in the landscape. Sedge is a great alternative to traditional lawns, especially in areas that are difficult mow, such as hillsides. Sedge is a grass-like plant that comes in many varieties and does not require mowing. It is a grassy plant that grows from a few inches tall to a few feet tall depending on the variety. It can be an excellent alternative to a traditional lawn; at least in part. I would recommend leaving a good section of lawn for play and recreation.
I have a patch of my own yard devoted to other plants as well; such as wildflowers. Another section of my property is a butterfly garden, and a large portion of my yard is landscaped with trees, perennials, bulbs, and so on; I even have a pond that is home to fish and frogs (the birds love it too). I have hundreds of Hosta as well; they are everywhere throughout my yard. Hostas have so many varieties in a range of sizes, heights, textures, and colors that all work well together in the landscape.
In conclusion, it is important to incorporate nature into the landscape design. A blend of plants, trees, lawn, and outdoor living areas insure we spend more time outdoors. Our own yard can become a source of nature and tranquil healing.