Gardening is one of the most rewarding, entertaining and healthy hobbies that exists, and it brings many positives with it that go far beyond the basic aspects to it. Gardening is a way of life for some, offering a way for them to ground themselves and get away from the rest of the world in their own little space. For this reason, we think you should feel these benefits too. That’s why we have listed 10 reasons why you should love (and start!) gardening! 1) Gardening is good for the mind – gardening is beneficial to the mind more than you might think, and scientific evidence proves that gardening is beneficial to those that suffer from anxiety and depression, offering a therapeutic and natural experience that is incredibly rewarding. 2) Gardening teaches valuable life values – gardening actually teaches a few of life’s most important virtues, for example patience. Because you don’t plant a seed, then get a beautiful plant or flower the next day it teaches the value of waiting for the good things in life. It requires lots of patience, and a good temper/cool head to deal with the little things that make gardening hard. 3) Gardening is good for your physical health too – gardening requires a lot of physical work, and the action of maintaining a garden burns calories and keeps you fit. The Heart, Lung and Blood Institute put gardening in the recommendations list for battling high blood pressure! 4) It lets you create your own space, exactly how you want to – gardening is one of the best ways to create your own space and truly make a place your own. It allows you to make your own world beautiful, and share it with all of your friends and family! 5) It connects you to nature and gives you a way of making a meaning out of life – gardening allows you to focus on something and gain a feeling of true achievement. It makes us appreciate our lives, and gives a true feeling of inspiration and hope. 6) It helps you get the Vitamin D you need – gardening is not done at night, so that means that while we garden we are spending time in the sun, and getting fresh air. The body naturally produces Vitamin D when it is in the sun, so gardening assists you in getting all of the Vitamin D that you need. 7) It helps us give back to nature – we often talk about how we can “give back” to nature, and we often think it is something done on a massive, government scale. Instead of thinking that, we can all do our bit and give back to the environment by gardening! A garden provides a natural habitat to animals, so we can give back to our furry friends simply by gardening. 8) It gives us a great source of healthy, organic vegetables – one of the most obvious benefits to gardening is the fact that it provides you with fresh vegetables and fruit to snack on! Fresh fruits and veg are healthy, and incredibly tasty so this is one clear reason why you should love gardening. 9) It lets you build relationships – gardening is a great way for you to build a relationship with someone, it is something to share. You can build your own landscape together, and learn about each other along every step of the way! A great relationship building tool. 10) It lets you nurture gifts – gifting plants and flowers is a common thing now, and being an avid gardener allows you to take these gifts and grow them with the rest of your landscape! This makes this a very enriching and personal gift. Gardening offers a huge array of benefits, ranging from physical and mental health, to personal enjoyment and relationship building. Gardening offers you a way to express your creativity and inner beauty, and each year when you look at your garden you will notice it has changed, and it changed because you changed.