What happens to us when we care for flowers? Why are many adults irresistibly drawn to the beds, while children need gardening for their development? What role do plants play in our life?
Flowers in pots, a flower bed near the house, a Christmas tree for the New Year, trees outside the train window, a dacha, a forest … Plants are so familiar to us that we stop noticing them. But the botanical metaphors that we use in speech are a reminder of the important place the green world occupies in our lives. “We say: “the girl has flourished”, “we are taking root”, “we are growing young personnel”, “the economy is flourishing”. And this is no coincidence, – emphasizes the doctor of psychological sciences, the author of the concept of the psychological space of personality Sofya Nartova-Bochaver:
Nature influences us even if we don’t realize it. She is a nurse, and an inspirer, and a psychotherapist.
The basis of life
The turbulent life from the village migrated to the cities over the century: in 1917, the ratio of urban to rural population was 18 to 82%, and in 2017, 74 to 26%, respectively, but almost every one of us has a peasant in his family who got bread with his own hands. Are these roots awakening in us when we plant strawberries in a dacha with trepidation or grow marigolds at the entrance?
Many citizens still remember the law of survival: as long as I have six acres, I will not be lost
“I remember that during perestroika, some colleagues, teachers with scientific degrees, planted potatoes, greens, vegetables in front of high-rise buildings,” recalls Elena Mukhortova, a teacher of psychology and pedagogy, “and this supported me in difficult times, including morally.”
The American sociobiologist and ecologist Edward Wilson argues that humanity at a deep level depends on the life of other biological species: this is the basis of his biophilia hypothesis. “According to his version, people who watched nature were in dialogue with the outside world, harvested a good harvest and avoided the danger of hunger and death,” says Sofia Nartova-Bochaver. “And those who were careless in dealing with nature did not survive.” In Avatar, trees are the link between all the elements of nature, a perfect illustration of Wilson’s hypothesis. Modern culture reflects our nostalgia for nature.
vegetable symbols
Flowers from antiquity to the present day serve as symbols of the qualities that we value. In Buddhism, the rose signifies the threefold truth: order, knowledge, law. Muslims have love, truth and divine wisdom. According to legend, the prophet Muhammad, rising to the sky, dropped a drop of sweat on the ground, and it turned into a beautiful white rose. The white lily is the symbol of royalty in France.
Closeness to nature is also emphasized by modern crowned persons, for example, the British Queen Elizabeth is often photographed with garden shears and against the backdrop of the landscape, the psychologist notes. Some participants in the study, which was conducted by Sofya Nartova-Bochaver and Elena Mukhortova (more than 400 students wrote essays, filled out questionnaires), noted that for them, plants symbolize the connection of generations: they continue to care for flowers, because their mother planted them. Or they remember the house and the flowering of almonds in their homeland. Or admire a tree planted by a great-grandfather. And what about the youngest generation?
School of realism
“Urban children are so disadvantaged in contact with nature that they make many discoveries when they are offered to plant something themselves,” notes Sofya Nartova-Bochaver. “This is a tool that allows you to increase self-esteem, a sense of competence.” At the same time, nature teaches a small person to realistically assess his capabilities. The child makes an effort to plant a seed and receives feedback from nature. He understands how much he invests in order to have a result.
But he also understands that there are tasks that he cannot cope with, respects the power of nature, learns to reckon with it. “My grandson was surprised to hear that there are homemade cucumbers,” says Sofya Nartova-Bochaver. – And I realized how everything is running. We made a small garden with him, where he dug up the ground himself, planted zucchini seeds. He saw how a sprout hatched, how it developed, how leaves appeared. And most importantly, he did it with his own hands.
Plants show the child the cycle of life, and this is important for his personal development. He sees how a stalk, leaves, flowers appear from a grain. Then the bud “dies”, giving way to the fruit and a new grain. Life goes on, entering a new round.
Green interlocutors
What does gardening give adults? “In their essays, the respondents talked about how flowering shrubs and buds give tenderness, a sense of new life, emotions, joy,” says Elena Mukhortova. At the same time, the stereotype that women are more inclined to engage in floriculture was refuted. “We were surprised to find that there was no big difference in the ‘testimonies’ of men and women. We underestimate the attention and love of men for flowers,” concludes Elena Mukhortova. “I like to watch the slight swaying of branches in the light of night lamps”, “I love the sight of bare lonely trees on the first winter morning”, “It is nice to look at a bright flower carpet”, “I associate the smell of greenery with joy” – all these are phrases from male essay.
For both men and women, plants help to avoid loneliness. “We found out that respondents talk to flowers and shrubs, even give them names,” continues Elena Mukhortova. Amateur gardeners also communicate with each other: they discuss plantings, exchange recipes, go to seed fairs.
If the plant has not withered, then you are ready for a dialogue with the world and you can start a new deep relationship.
“Daily care structures their life: you need to plant each plant at its own time, monitor them, dig them up in the fall, store them properly in the winter, open the greenhouse in the morning and close it in the evening. This is especially important for the elderly,” concludes Elena Mukhortova. Caring for plants prevents depression and cognitive loss (when we plan where to plant what, we have to keep a lot of related information in mind) and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
“Smells, colors and working with the soil are very useful for people with mental disabilities, prevent the development of dementia and help patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Sofya Nartova-Bochaver. Even a walk in the woods or a small flower can have a therapeutic effect. Gestalt therapists often recommend that survivors of adversity—separation, betrayal, divorce, separation from children—plant a houseplant.
“If the plant has not withered, then you are ready for a dialogue with the world and you can start a new deep relationship. If it died, then you are not yet ready to take care of others, and this is an occasion for reflection and a resource for awareness, ”says Sofya Nartova-Bochaver. So, step by step, we prepare ourselves for a more attentive and caring relationship with flowers, and therefore with the world.