THE BEAUTY OF STONE

Whether it is quarried, hand-cut, or smoothed by eons of river tumbling, natural stone is unrivaled in beauty, texture, interest, and endurance. The photos below show different types of natural stone products used for a variety of garden purposes. If you like what you see, please give us a call (717-653-1273). When it comes to sourcing and creating natural stone artwork, Hanselman Landscape’s craftsmen are rock stars!

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& dedicated fan of “classic rock”)

ACCESS TO NATURE CAN IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH

In the fret and frenzy of a fast-paced urban life, getting out “in nature” would seem an obvious way to mentally and emotionally slow down and restore tranquility to our lives. Research increasingly validates this assumption.

In a Science Alert article, Peter Dockrill referenced a study published by researchers at Stanford University which “has quantified how access to nature could be a vital component in our overall mental health.”
(https://www.sciencealert.com/access-to-nature-may-be-vital-for-mental-health-study-finds)

Since an increasing percentage of the population lives and works in urban areas, researchers from Stanford University wanted to examine the link between urbanization and the increased instances of mental illnesses and anxiety disorders among city dwellers, compared with people who live in rural settings. In a controlled experiment, the researchers looked at whether exposure to nature could influence depression levels, especially ‘rumination’, which is defined as repetitive, negative thoughts about oneself.

The researchers divided participants into two groups and led each group on timed walks in very different environments. One group walked beside a busy highway, while the other group wandered across a grassy area in which trees and shrubs were growing.

As you look at each of the photos below, do your responses differ? How so? Based on your responses, you probably already know the outcome of the Stanford study, but I’d still love to have you come back next week to read the “official” results of the study, so you know I’m not making it up. I’d also love to show you how a Hanselman Landscape garden is making a difference for apartment residents in the heart of busy Chinatown, Philadelphia. Come back, won’t you?

Gladly shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful green-space dweller)

“A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space–a place not just set apart, but reverberant–and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.”
~ Michael Pollan (in Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education)

Can we help you create a “privileged space” for you and your loved ones? We’d be delighted to partner with you to create some backyard poetry, and invite you to give us a call: 717-665-1273.

Shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& “privileged space” dweller)

Hand-shaped stepping stones curve past a tsukubai water feature and graceful Japanese Maples to provide passage and interest in a formerly soggy section of this back yard, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

The wind that makes music in November corn is in a hurry. The stalks hum, the loose husks whisk skyward in half-playing swirls, and the wind hurries on… A tree tries to argue, bare limbs waving, but there is no detaining the wind.”
~ Aldo Leopold (American author, philosopher, naturalist, and conservationist; 1887-1948)

Joyfully shared by Betty Hanselman
Gardener’s wife (& grateful for all things November)

Although November is often a gray, cold and dreary passage into winter, there is much beauty to be discovered if you are willing to step out into your garden or into God’s great wide world. As you do, fill your lungs with fresh air, your eyes with grandeur, your spirit with joy; you just might come home singing. I hope so!

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.”
~Sarah Ban Breathnach (Creator of the Simple Abundance Gratitude Journal)

WISHING YOU JOY THIS THANKSGIVING!
~Your friends at Hanselman Landscape