Are Flowers Good For Your Health? The Mood Boosting Benefits Are Pretty Great, Study Shows

For as long as I can remember, my mom has loved cultivating a large garden of herbs and flowers. "Gardening is my therapy," she always told me. And while, for a long time, I dismissed that as her excuse to visit Home Depot on a weekly basis, once I moved into a place of my own, the urge to nurture plants took hold of me, too. So are flowers really good for your health? Apparently, my mom had science on her side, so if you're wondering what in carnation will help soothe your frazzled nerves, look no further than a vase full of fresh flowers.

According to a new study from a research team at the University of North Florida, the benefits of bringing plants into your home are basically too good to pass up, even if you think you don't have that coveted "green thumb." Here's how the study was done: According to an AboutFlowers.com press release, researchers gathered 170 women between 18 and 65 years old and divided them into three groups. In one group, women were sent a home delivery of flowers; in the second group, the women received a candle of roughly the same value; and in the last group, the women didn't receive any gifts at all. The study took place over the course of 12 days, and each of the women, regardless of what gifts they did or didn't receive, completed an online survey to assess their stress levels every day of the research. For the women who received flowers or a candle, the delivery was sent to their home about halfway through the study, around day five or six, according to the press release.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that those who received flowers overwhelmingly reported that the blooms boosted their mood, while stress levels appeared to remain a bit higher for those who had received a candle or no home delivery at all. Basically, the simple act of bringing a bouquet into your home is enough to significantly boost your mood. "Our findings are important from a public health perspective because adding flowers to reduce stress does not require tremendous effort to generate a meaningful effect," lead researcher Erin Largo-Wight, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of North Florida's Department of Public Health, said in a statement. "When life seems to be in a constant state of frenzy, flowers can provide us with a much-needed moment of calm."

While this particular study comes from the Society of American Florists, an entire garden (see what I did there?) of research seems to support the nurturing health benefits of flowers, so get ready to fill your apartment with fresh green blossoms. The thing is, unlike more time-consuming ways to relieve stress, like going on long runs or writing in a journal, picking up a fresh bouquet of flowers is something quick and easy you can do for yourself when you're having a bad day.

And really, the sheer act of spending time around these plants may be enough to reap the benefits: In a 2014 study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, researchers found that office workers who were exposed to unscented roses for only four minutes showed a decreased heart rate and reported significantly higher levels of relaxation than those who weren't exposed to any flowers at all. Simply being around a vase of the fragrant blooms while you're enjoying a cup of tea, catching up on your favorite show, or even doing the dishes can have seriously positive effects on your state of mind.

Foster keeps bicycle, flowers out for drivers

LAKEVIEW — Doris Foster loves old bicycles and pretty flowers. She displays both of them in her front yard on the Fredonia Road about three miles north of Lanett.

"We like living in the country," she said, "but that's a busy road in front of our house. People sometimes stop in the road to see the flower bed and what's in the basket on front of the bicycle."

Doris is the wife of Herschel Foster, who owns a car lot in the local area. She's originally from Moultrie, Georgia, where the soil is a lot easier to work with than it is in Chambers County.

"It's loose soil, and you can grow almost anything in it," she said. "The soil here is rocky, and is harder to work with. I love azaleas, and we'd have lots of them if we had softer soil."

Doris got one of her two bikes from a yard sale on Highway 50 in Huguley; the other one was given to her by her son, Dion Croft, who lives in Moultrie.

"When I saw that bicycle at the yard sale I knew it would be perfect for my flower bed," Foster said.

The bike her son gave her is part of a rustic setting on the side of their yard. There's a couple of old gas cans in front of it to give it an old-fashioned country feel. There's a type of petunia known as Ruellia growing there alongside a section of white picket fence. An old timey wash tub is hanging off the fence, and the flowers growing out of it almost reach the ground. On the opposite site of the bicycle is an old metal chair with a large potted plant sitting on it.

Foster loves to grow petunias and clematis, especially the red ones. "I'd love to have some roses," she said. "We started some hydrangeas this year. We like what they've done so far."

She also loves the wind chimes on her front porch and the sounds they make when there's a gentle breeze. There are two signs on the front porch that greet friends and relatives when they arrive. One says "WELCOME!" and the other has an image of a big rooster and says "The Roost." There's also a small black bell with a cowboy riding a bucking horse on the top.

"We work hard to have our yard looking nice," she said. "We want to make a good impression on people as they drive by, and that's a really busy road out there."

How to dry flowers and preserve their color

Flowers are a beautiful addition to any setting, but the colorful blooms tend to only last for a few days or a week. Drying flowers is a great way to preserve them for display in a vase or frame in your home.

Depending on the type of flower, there are several different techniques for drying flowers that can all be easily done at home with items you have on hand.

When's the best time to cut flowers for drying?

To ensure the flowers retain the most color, cut them before they are fully open. The flowers should also dry in a dark, cool place so sunlight doesn't fade the colors.

If you're trying to dry a bouquet (like a wedding bouquet), it's best to dry it as soon as you're done using it since the flowers more than likely have been cut for at least a day. If you happen to receive cut flowers like roses, it may be tempting to leave the flowers in a vase until all the blooms fully open. However, if you really want to save the flowers for sentimental sake, you'll want to dry them before they're completely open.

What's the best method for drying flowers?

Hanging

The most common (and pretty much foolproof) method is to gather the flowers in small bundles or individually and hang them upside-down. I always use a clothes hanger and rubber bands, and I tie flowers together at the stem and then line them up in a row and tie them to the hanger, which I hang inside a closet. If the stems are delicate, you can use dental floss to tie them. You can also hang the flowers from a wire or rod as long as the flowers are parallel to the floor.

This method will take a few weeks, and petals may fall off in the process. But it's also the best way to preserve the stems if you want to display the flowers in a vase.

Pressing

If you want to preserve just the flower, pressing is a great method that doesn't take up as much room as air drying.

Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) recommends that you cut flowers right before they hit their peak bloom in the morning after the dew has evaporated. Line the flowers on newspaper, plain, white paper, tissues or blotting paper (any paper that can absorb moisture) and place another sheet on top. Then, place the flowers in a book and close the book. You may want to stack books on top of the book that contains the flowers. This method also takes a few weeks.

Pressing is ideal for dried flowers that you want to place in a picture frame, between glass or in a piece of jewelry.

Microwaving

If you don't want to wait weeks for your flowers to dry, this method is the way to go. Place flowers (without the stems) in a microwave-safe container. BHG suggests covering the flowers in a silica sand mixture or an equal mix of borax and cornmeal. Do not place a lid on the container and microwave it for one minute on high. If the flowers aren't dry, microwave another minute until they're dry. Finally, leave the flowers in the mixture for a day to ensure they are fully dry.

Where's the best place to display them?

If you want to keep your dried flowers for a long time, make sure you place them away from windows or any other source of direct sunlight. Also, keep them away from stoves, fireplaces, heaters or heat vents. Basically, the flowers need to be in a cool room so the colors don't fade.

Which flowers are best?

While roses may be the most popular (and sentimental) flower to save as a keepsake, these varieties (including some floral herbs) also fare well for drying.

    Baby's breath

    Carnation

    Echinacea

    Globe amaranth

    Hydrangea

    Larkspur

    Lavender

    Lily

    Peony

    Strawflower

To grow robust annual flowers, fertilize early and often

Brightly colored annual flowers are popping up around the metro area. Annuals are an easy way to provide color with little care, but you'll get the most from your plants if you give them a little attention. Here is what you need to know to achieve maximum results.

Know how buds form

Annuals have a limited time to flower before frost puts an end to the color. The goal is to get as many flowers as possible in that short period of time. Breeders have been working hard to simplify the process, but the plants still need assistance.

Blooms form at the end of a healthy, vigorous vegetative shoot. The biggest, most robust plants are those that produce a lot of new green growth in which the flowers form. So your goal is to produce more of that green growth, which means feeding your plants consistently and often.

Many times annuals underperform because they are not fed enough to push the growth. The secret to fertilizing annuals is to keep it up all season long.

Start at planting. This application helps the plants get established. To keep them growing strong, feed them monthly through September.

More nitrogen, less phosphorus

Marketers of plant fertilizers have not always based their information on sound horticulture research. Many flower fertilizers have higher amounts of phosphorus and lower levels of nitrogen. With names like "bloom buster," these products miss the research-based point that flowers are produced from new green growth.

While phosphorus is important, it is associated with root development, not flower bud formation. Look for the three numbers on the product label. If the middle (second) number of the three is the highest, then put it back on the shelf. The first number in the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratio is the most important: Nitrogen is responsible for green shoot development.

Fertilizers labeled for flowers are not always properly formulated or easy to use, and they may not provide the best results.

How to fertilize

The problem for many gardeners is fertilization involves math and soil chemistry. Most of us just want simple, clear directions. If you have not had a proper soil test, which provides all the information you need, here is the recipe for flower fertilization for dummies.

Once a month evenly spread a fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or something similar at the rate of 1 pound, about 2 cups per 100 square feet of bed area. Estimate your square footage by multiplying length times width. For small plantings of five or six annuals, sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of fertilizer over the area. Be sure to water it in after the application. This recipe is easy to follow and inexpensive.

That's it, all you need to know for a colorful summer of flowering annuals.