17 Surprising Benefits Of Flower Gardening

These surprising benefits of flower gardening will encourage you to buy some seeds and plant a flower garden this spring!

Did you there is a way to boost your mood, increase your physical activity, spark joy and improve the environment? (And all at the same time?)

What if I told you you can achieve all these things with a simple flower garden?

While a vegetable garden can boost the immune system and save money at the grocery store, there is something quite magical about growing your own flowers. For optimal benefits we suggest you do both!

Benefits of Flower Gardening

Flower gardening brings endless joy and entertainment to many. But there are also many unsung benefits to growing flowers. From increased exercise to helping the environment, we are going to unearth all of those flower growing benefits today.

Here are 17 benefits that will encourage you to get out and grow beautiful flowers in your own back yard:

1. Exposure To A Little Sunshine

Staying active in your flower beds provides numerous health benefits. Increased sunshine bolsters Vit D levels which helps with sleep, mood and even weight loss.

The exposure to sunshine while you are puttering in your flower gardens will boost your mood and help you sleep better. And, it doesn’t take much time to reap the benefits, even just 15 minutes a day does the trick.

Let the bold colors of the flowers and the warmth of the sun give you a mood boost!

Learn how to grow snapdragons in containers here.

Wondering how to prep the garden in early spring? Get our printable to do list here!

2. Increased Exercise

Maintaining a garden of any sort automatically increases exercise levels.

You’ll need to get out in the fresh air daily to tend to your plants, weed and water. This improves physical health and has relaxing therapeutic effects.

Even a few minutes of moderate-level exercise daily is proven to increase mood and overall health. Gardening tends to be a gentle form of exercise that involves lots of walking, some moderate lifting and digging, and bending/stooping.

Flower gardening is a great way to decrease the risk of heart disease through gentle physical activity.

Regular yard work utilizes both small and large muscle groups, giving you a variety of movement.

3. Easy Gifts For Special Occasions

Homegrown flowers are timeless, classy, and charming. They make an easy but personable gift and can fit any occasion.

A variety of flowers grown in your backyard will supply you with an endless amount of floral gifts to give to friends and family.

You can also feature flower bouquets at your own special occasions: birthday parties, graduations and special dinners.

Or place a beautiful bouquet on the table just because!

Cut flowers are like giving a little bit of sunshine and joy. A cheerful bouquet of homegrown dwarf sunflowers is sure to brighten up a neighbor’s day, and a lush bouquet of peonies might be the perfect gift for a flower loving friend.

Flowers contain a variety of symbolism and meaning, and can express different emotions when given as a gift. Learn about the meaning and symbolism of sunflowers here.

Consider a community garden! A community garden has a positive impact on multiple levels. The social interaction is beneficial for mood and brain health, and a community adds beauty to the green spaces of your community. A community garden can connect older adults with young children as they share their knowledge and experience in gardening. A community outdoor space filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables is a place of nourishment and encouragement.

4. Easy Creative Outlet

Flower gardening is an easy creative outlet that almost anyone can do. Designing a flower garden and planting flowers stimulates the mind and opens up the door to endless design possibilities.

With a little initiative even a small patio space can become a beautiful botanical garden. Any outdoor space can become a wonderland when filled with overflowing containers of colorful flowers.

(Learn how to grow zinnias in containers here).

Flowers also inspire many art forms. From floral design to photography, water colors and pressing flowers, there are many easy ways to enjoy flowers and create your own art.

Tip: If you are new to flower gardening try out a few easy to grow flowers. Pansies and primroses are easy to grow in early spring, and dwarf sunflowers and cosmos are great for the first time summer gardener. As you grow in confidence, add more blooms!

Get creative sunflower growing ideas here!

5. Flower Gardening Reduces Stress

Lifestyles in the United States are busy and overwhelming and there is no doubt that flower gardening is a great stress reliever.

This Japanese study showed gardening reduces feelings of fear, anger, stress and sadness.

Flower gardening forces you to slow down and literally smell the roses. The fresh air and physical exercise increase blood flow and encourage a sense of calm.

Another study, from Harvard, shows that just being in the presence of flowers reduces anxiety and increases feelings of happiness!

The mental health benefits of flowers are simply amazing.

Make your time outside even more uplifting and relaxing by planting aromatic lavender, fragrant roses and deliciously scented Daphne bushes. Heck, throw on your favorite music to make it even more magical!

6. Easy Home Decor (Floral Arrangement + Drying)

A major benefit of growing your own flowers is using them to add beauty and charm to your own home. It is proven that just looking at a beautiful bouquet of flowers is an effective stress relief, and their lovely fragrance can quickly boost mood.

So why not fill your home with them?

Growing flowers in your own garden is like having an endless variety of home decor options. From dried flowers to fresh floral arrangements, planting flowers will give you many delightful options for your home decor.

Some of our favorite flowers and herbs to grow throughout the season:

Cosmos for their endless blooms and dainty but striking bouquets

Dahlias for their large and impressive blooms, and ability to bloom all summer

Mint for it’s ability to flower, lovely fragrance and beauty hanging in dried bunches

Zinnias add charm and whimsy and are very easy to grow

Sunflowers brighten up your home with beautiful miniature sunflower bouquets

Lavender for it’s amazing relaxing scent.

Tulips for colorful early spring blooms

Get more ideas for the best cut flowers to grow here!

7. Some Flowers Are Edible!

Did you know some flowers are edible?

Brighten up your salads with beautiful edible flowers like nasturtiums, marigolds, and pansies. These flowers look delightful in salads and as accents on roasts or potatoes.

Enjoy creating stunning floral ice cubes with your kids or use edible flowers to decorate a cake!

Always double check to make sure the flowers you are planning to consume are safe and have not been treated with chemicals or pesticides.

Grow your own nutritious food with a vegetable garden, and brighten up your dinner table by accenting your meals with beautiful edible flowers

Learn when to cut peonies for the longest vase life here.

8. Flower Gardening Is An Inexpensive Hobby

When done right flower gardening can be an inexpensive hobby.

Planting flowers from seed is incredibly inexpensive and you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Consider comsos flowers: from one pack of seed comes a dozen or so plants. And from those plants hundreds of flowers bloom each summer!

To save money on your own flower garden plant from seed, create your own compost pile, and trade bulbs with friends and family members. Watch for end of season plant sales in the fall when gardening centers are trying to clear out inventory.

9. A Sense Of Pride and Accomplishment

Flower gardening creates a sense of pride and ownership. While others may waste their hours away in front of a screen, you can choose to be the type of person that digs into the living dirt and grows something beautiful to share with the world.

Flowers provide tangible results: a beautiful, thriving flower garden is the result of a lot of labor, planning and love.

And there is no better feeling of satisfaction than after a hard day’s work in the flower garden. Seeing a garden burst to life with color and beauty is immensely satisfying, and sharing the beauty (and bounty) of flowers brings endless joy.

Learn all the secrets to growing columbine flowers here!

10. Attracts Pollinators

Growing a variety of flowers that bloom all summer long will attract insects to your garden beds.

These insects, such as bees and butterflies, are essential for pollinating the flowers blooming on your vegetables. This cross pollination is extremely important and will guarantee that you end up with fresh vegetables.

Fill your backyard with a variety of garden plants, flowers and flowering herbs to keep the bees and butterflies happy.

Marigolds, sunflowers and zinnias are just a few of the many flowers that attract pollinators.

Get more ideas for flowers that attract pollinators here.

11. Flowers Attract Hummingbirds

Flowers not only attract pollinating insects: they attract hummingbirds as well.

Hummingbirds eat all kinds of insects (mosquito, wasps and gnats, to name a few) and are fun to watch!

Hummingbirds seek out tubular shaped flowers. They love salvia, trumpet vines, petunias, bee balm, foxgloves and hollyhocks (and many other blooms!).

12. Increase Home Value + Curb Appeal

Have you ever pulled up to a house filled with overflowing flower gardens and just got that cozy vibe?

That’s because flowers make a home feel lived in and loved. Growing flowers and planting different types of flowering shrubs and trees will bring immediate value to your home.

And when home buyers shop they will subconsciously be attracted to a home that has pretty, well kept flower beds.

After all, if you take the time to tend to the flower gardens you probably take great care of your home!

12. Combat Climate Change

Growing native flowers in your home garden is an excellent way to help combat climate change.

Flowers use carbon dioxide from the air to create photosynthesis and are natural air purifiers. Creating a garden featuring many different plants can be an effective tool to mitigate pollution and offset some of the dangers of modern day climate change.

13. Slows Down Aging

Did you know flower gardening has anti aging benefits?

Getting out in the sunshine, moderate exercise and using your mind daily can ward off the risk of dementia.

Keeping both the mind and body in shape, daily gardening also gives a sense of purpose and joy to those who are in the retirement stage of life.

Planning a flower garden keeps the mind young, and joining a gardening club can increase social connections and feelings of happiness.

A little bit of light gardening each day combats a sedentary lifestyle and gets you out in the garden beds enjoying the sunshine. All of these factors combined slow the aging process.

14. Increased Family Connections

The social benefits of flower gardening should not be ignored! Gardening as a family will deeply connect you to your kids and spouse and improve relationships.

I speak with experience when I say kids gain confidence from planting a seed and watching it grow. Their natural curiosity for nature makes flower gardening an exciting venture.

Start out with simple flowers that are easy to grow such as sunflowers or zinnias. Add in different flowers as you and your kids gain confidence!

The time together spent in nature will bond you and your children and create life long memories for them. Plus, it’s a great alternative to screen time.

Consider introducing your kiddos to their grandparent’s garden. It’s likely that their grandparents have green thumb skills that they would love to share with the next generation.

Spending time with family and bonding over flowers is one of the main benefits of gardening. Our whole family enjoys gardening together, from the youngest kiddo (who loves the dirt), to the great grandparents who remember times of victory gardens and food shortages. Use gardening as a tool to teach your children about nature, history and sustainability.

15. Increases Time Outside For Kids

There are many different ways flower gardening is beneficial for kids. The most important benefit: flowers get kids off of screens out and out in nature!

Gardening also teaches kids about the natural environment, boosts their self esteem through hard work, and can help encourage healthy eating. They will also natrually learn about math, biology and nature.

Give kids a small garden plot of their own at a young age and watch them flourish! They will need a little help at first, but after a few years you will be absolutely amazed at what they can accomplish on their own.

Teach kids about the importance of flowers early on. Planting and caring for flowers (and other plants) is a part of being a good steward of the earth, and even young children can appreciate the natural beauty of a flower.

Let them study the roots of plants and the growing process of the flower (check out our guide to the parts of a sunflower here).

Allow kids to grow and share their own flowers with friends and family, or even start a small summer flower business!

16. Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a key to benefit to growing flowers. From the aroma of soothing lavender to the romantic smell of roses, the aromatic benefits of flowers can send relaxing signals to your brain.

The familiar smells of flowers add enjoyment, relaxation and a sense of happy nostalgia to the garden space.

Improve your well being by filling your garden with lovely floral scents. Consult this list for ideas (our favorites are jasmine, chamomile and lilac).

17. Connection To Nature

The final benefit of flower gardening is the deep connection and appreciate to nature you will begin to feel through flower gardening.

Flowers come in many amazing forms, colors, and growing habits. They are stunning and can grow in almost any condition.

Flower gardening will soothe your soul, leave you in awe of nature, and help you appreciate the creative God that created flowers.

As an added bonus, you’ll notice an incredible amount of flora and fauna that also love and appreciate flowers. From bird watching to enjoy the hum of the simple bumble bee, your life will become richer.

Conclusion

Full of whimsy and charm, the flower garden is a great place to enjoy nature and add immense value to your own daily life.

Getting out in the garden daily is good exercise, boosts mood and can connect families together. Flower gardening increases confidence and keeps you mentally sharp.

A thriving flower garden improves the environment and provides ample food for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. And featuring a bouquet of flowers in the home is proven to lift spirits.

If you’re ready to get started flower gardening, read our beginner’s guide to flower gardening right here!

If you don’t have any space for an outdoor flower garden, consider growing plants indoors! Peperomia is a great plant for beginners.