IN Upper St. Clair Spring 2014 | Page 28

Get in the Zone for Gardening The most basic factor in selecting the right plants for Upper St. Clair. A fter a long winter with record-setting cold, it’s time to think spring. The warmer weather is synonymous with beautiful plants, flowers and fresh vegetables grown in your own backyard. Nothing beautifies your home quite like freshly blooming flowers, shrubs and trees. Landscaping can add 10 to 15 percent to your property value. And unlike the interior design of a home which has to be changed periodically to keep up with changing trends, the value added by landscaping increases over time. Vegetable gardening is a great way to enjoy the outdoors for any age group and in addition to lowering the grocery bill, offers the possibility of growing produce without pesticides and chemicals. Gardening is a wonderful warmweather activity, but perhaps the most important aspect is its therapeutic effect and the calming nature of tending plants. In fact, horticultural therapy is something that has been used by doctors and therapists for over 200 years. It is well documented that working in the dirt calms the heart, which in turn lowers blood