On 27 August my dad reached his 80th birthday. This 2023 has not been easy for him, he has had some health problems due to diabetes among other pathologies. As a result, his trips abroad have become increasingly infrequent, although he has his periods when he even goes out on his own to run a small errand. To celebrate his birthday, we went to a very cosy restaurant, surrounded by mountains and in the open air. We thought that getting out of the house and taking him to a natural place and eating something tasty would be to his liking and we were right. Near the restaurant, we saw a trolley with plants for sale, we asked my father if he wanted one, and of course, he said yes 😊.
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There were beauties
My dad lives in a department, on a 19th floor, literally caged, but that doesn't stop him from having his little plants on the balcony. He's the kind of guy who walks down the street and sees if there's a live branch and takes it home and plants it "to see if it sticks". I think I inherited that from him, because I confess that I also do it and a couple of the plants I have, have sprouted like that, from a twig thrown on the road.
In his confinement and solitude, I think he has a bit of fun with his plants, and I know, as all of us who love plants know, that it is very revitalising just to see their greenness every morning, to touch them, to smell them. I love aromatic plants, and so does he. I don't have a garden either, so I manage to have some at home that don't need a lot of sun.
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Some of its plants
The benefits of having plants nearby are innumerable, and in elderly people, I would say they are even necessary, as well as a pet, which is the subject of another post.
On her birthday we had a great time, and the natural environment around us certainly helped. In the plant trolley there were some beautiful plants, I wanted to take them all, however, it was not a day for me, but for him, so we put him to choose and he chose one of flowers (I think he thought it was aromatic), one of anise, precisely because of its smell, another of rosemary and some seeds, together with some pots, soil and compost.
Gardening has always been a very therapeutic activity, and unfortunately, not all of us can do it due to lack of space or the right place, but there are always ways to have a bit of it at home.
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My recommendation is that if, like us, you don't have a plot of land or a patio, don't get discouraged and still have potted plants at home. Planting them, changing the soil, fertilising them, watching them grow is something we can all enjoy.
Of course, we have to educate ourselves about what we can have in our conditions, that they need light but not direct light, etc.
In flats we can perfectly well have ferns, Potos, Sansevierias, Azaleas, succulents of all kinds, cacti, there are no excuses for not enjoying the emotional and psychological benefits of having and caring for plants at home.
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When I went to visit my father a few days ago, I was very pleased to see that having them on his balcony is a source of well-being for him. Older adults need stimulation, purpose and motivation, and what better motivation than to water the little plant that makes us so happy, to see a sprout, to make an infusion with leaves from our garden?
Thank you for reading this far, I wanted to share with you a little bit of her story and show you her plants, some of them are twigs that she has collected and look how beautiful they have become. 😊🍀
Photographs taken by me
Original content for Hive
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