Attentive gardeners nearly filled the lecture space March 10 to listen to Katie Dubow of the Garden Media Group discuss new trends in gardening for 2018. (Photo by Micheal Rhian Driscoll)
More than 40 gardeners filled the house at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, on March 10 for its 27th annual Spring Garden Show.
The theme was gardening as “Nature’s RX,” cultivating plants, both ornamental and agricultural, not only for the dinner table or brightening up the house, but as a means of fighting anxiety or stress.
Katie DuBow of the Garden Media Group in Kennett Square, Pa., told the crowd concentrating attention on plants is an excellent means to fight anxiety, stress, depression and other problems of modern life.
DuBow delved into other gardening benefits, including climate control with plants circulating oxygen, fostering beneficial insects such as bees; social networking through sharing ideas and techniques of gardening; and harmonizing the growth of plants to work with each other.
She said there’s a trend toward “irregular gardens” that follow the imperfections of nature and water gardening has gained attention to have plants doing more for water quality.
In addition, she suggested gardening and farming helps to improve sources of protein.
Her talk concluded with encouraging the cultivation of purple foods, including varieties of asparagus and potatoes.
These plants can be important courses of antioxidants to fight against cancer, along with other generally nutritional, aesthetic or medical benefits.
