Gardens are Good for the Neighborhood

Gardens aren’t just lovely they help us maintain a healthy ecosystem. When designed as a pollinator garden, they attract bees and butterflies, which play a critical role in the vitality of our food chain. In fact, research has shown that without bees, over 100,000 species of plants would go extinct!

When gardens include plants from the Mint family, including Lavender, Sage, Mint, and Rosemary, pesky insects like flies and gnats are repelled. It seems they strongly dislike the distinctive aroma produced by these plants, which comes from a blend of volatile and non-volatile aromatic compounds. And who among us wouldn’t be grateful for fewer flies and gnats?

Gardens also help sequester carbon in the atmosphere.

So next time you think to yourself that there’s nothing more you can do to help turn the climate crisis around or improve the quality of your neighborhood, consider planting a garden. No matter how small, it’s a contribution that can make a difference and not just for the pollinators or the environment.

“Physical health, mental health: all of these are also made better by having gardens — healthy nature and ecosystems — around you.”

-Signe Danler, Oregon State University