Treat Your Relationship Like a Garden

I grew up loving plants, probably because my father always made it a goal to have our yard look like a garden at Disneyland. My brother and I would constantly be helping my father with weekend projects like building a koi pond or digging big holes for palm trees being delivered.

As I got older I found that I took pride in the appearance of my home just like my father. The knowledge my father taught me as a kid about plants and his creative projects has sparked a passion in both my husband and me!

Chris was never really into gardening until I came along with gardening projects! Quickly he realized that gardening was a hidden talent of his. We enjoy shopping for plants at local nurseries and stores. I love that we both like to shop for plants which is a great little day date, and usually includes lunch. Then the following day we plant them together. Everything from finding beautiful pots and garden décor to watching our plants get bigger and flowering is rewarding.

It’s great when you and your significant other share a hobby you both enjoy. Gardening has been known to help improve moods. Researchers have found that tending to plants can reap mental health benefits. Focusing your attention on the immediate task and details of gardening can reduce negative thoughts and feelings and can make you feel better in the moment.

A great start to finding out if gardening is something you and your veteran may enjoy would be to create a butterfly garden. These are very simple plants to care for and from our experience attract a ton of butterflies year-round (we are in Florida.)

All you need is a large pot, soil, Milk Weed (this is the only food source for monarch butterflies), and Lantana (I get in all colors; pink, purple, yellow, etc). All of these plants can be found at just about any nursery or Home Depot/ Lowes. They somewhat die off in the winter, but I cut them back and by spring they are in full swing again attracting butterflies! They take very little maintenance and are difficult to kill (if you don’t have a green thumb).

Gardening has been a great hobby for us and I hope this may encourage you to play in the dirt w your spouse! Who knows your relationship may blossom like the plants you plant together!

Written By: Savanna Burrell

Veteran Caregiver