Gardening Can Help Heal Your Heart

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 (of 5)	Previous | Next

A Gardener’s Dream Therapy

RELATED STORIES Signs of a Heart Attack Treat Yourself to a Garden Spa Effects of Stress on Your Heart

Late one night, Wayne Higgins couldn’t sleep. His recent open-heart surgery had him home recuperating, and he found himself worrying about work while lying awake in bed.

But knowing anxiety doesn’t help an ailing heart heal, the farm and construction equipment salesman started to think of beds—the kind you dig and plant in. He began to plan a garden in his head. Wayne wanted a garden bursting with flowers, colors, and scent—a place neighbors, friends, and even strangers could enjoy—a place that might even help others heal.

“I told God that if I could have a garden, it would be a garden to share with other people,” says Wayne, who lives in Ankeny, Iowa.

That was five years ago. It also was 90 tons of soil, 100 tons of boulders, 3,000 flower bulbs, and 8,000 gallons of water ago. Today his 2-acre lot boasts more than 400 kinds of perennials, including more than 40 kinds of daylilies and 40 varieties of hosta.