Plants Add Happiness

Impact of Flowers, Wherever We Travel

We try to have an article about how plants add happiness to our lives in every e-newsletter article. I have been traveling a lot these past few weeks and have been impressed by how many beautiful flower displays I have seen. I'm not sure how many people who are reading this article are like me in terms of noticing flowers wherever they go. Most people seem to just walk by but that does not mean that they don't get any benefits from them. Research has certainly shown that flowers improve people's happiness and health even if only on the subconscious level.

My family and I traveled to Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago. There were beautiful flower beds planted all around the park next to the White House. Some of the salvia were not looking so good but most everything else looked great. I really wanted to see the vegetable garden at the White House but it was not visible from where we were. I was told by a guard that the Obama family participates in the responsibilities / work of the vegetable garden. I hope that's true.

Many large flower pots were strategically placed around buildings and roads to block cars from getting to certain areas. These are huge, cement pots that are there for security reasons. It's too bad we need the security but the flowers in the planters help one to forget all those worries. There were all types of plants in these containers. I was impressed with how good most of them looked considering the temperatures and environment they were in.

I'm not sure who plants, maintains and pays for all these flowers in D.C. Kalamazoo is fortunate to have a group called Kalamazoo in Bloom that plants Bronson Park, the airport , the bus station and several other locations. Next time you walk by a planting in a public place in Portage or Kalamazoo, think of Kalamazoo in Bloom and consider supporting them.

America in Bloom is a national organization that is dedicated to promoting beautification through the use of flowers, plants, trees and other environmental and lifestyles enhancements. Kalamazoo has participated in this program in the past but is not currently participating. Take a look at their web site to learn more about the impact they are making.

Visit the following Web sites for additional information.

www.americainbloom.org
www.kalamazooinbloom.org