You may be familiar with Marc Anthony’s quote “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” (Anthony). For some, it may be hard to imagine loving one’s corporate job, blue collar occupation, or one’s own enterprise. Coming home to something that we have control over, such as a garden, is calming and instills confidence. Technology and innovation have relieved many a businessperson and product owner of psychological stress and physical obstacles. With gardening technologies such as an elevated planter, product owners and companies have found convenience in having flowers and plants around the house and in the office.
Elevated planters benefit the work environment and employee morale. Companies are finding that production is improved as flowers and plants are introduced to the workplace. Recent research shows how productive behaviors are affected:
In an eight-month study, a Texas A&M University research team explored the link between flowers and plants and productivity…. During the study, both men and women demonstrated more innovative thinking, generating more ideas and original solutions to problems in the office environment that included flowers and plants. (Good Earth Plants, Incorporated)
New and renovating businesses are discovering ways to incorporate eco-friendly environments into their establishments. This type of user-friendly environment helps the hierarchal company structure at all levels and helps people to relax when they need it for a few moments.
A break from work for a few minutes is highly encouraged during work, school, and activities at home. With so many stressors at work and home, it can be difficult to take a quality break. With an elevated planter, caring for flowers and plants gives good reason to pause. Tina Bringslimark, with the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Norwegian University of Life Sciences, writes “…indoor plants are seen as features of the indoor environment that attract attention without effort and evoke positive emotions that can respectively promote renewal of the capacity to concentrate and interrupt the stress process” (Bringslimark). In short, breaks from activities help our brains to regenerate and adding “indoor plants” allows the mind to better relax (Bringslimark). Psychological effects of plants are important; however, physically disabled people are often discouraged from taking a green thumb role.
Elderly and disabled people are not exempt from enjoying gardening. Gardening technologies have made the elevated planter aesthetically pleasing and basically functional. For instance, Gardener’s Supply Company offers a two-foot by four-foot Elevated Cedar Planter Box allowing users to “Grow vegetables and flowers without kneeling or bending” and “At 29″ high, this attractive cedar planter is the perfect height for easy growing, eliminating the need to stoop, bend, kneel and reach” (Gardener’s Supply Company). These contraptions are friendly to product owners who have trouble in a traditional garden in the ground or have a wheelchair that does not allow the user to access lower areas. Coupled with other user-friendly accessories such as specialized pruners, forks, and shovels, the elevated planter is a great way to physically accommodate elderly and disabled individuals.
Product owners and companies greatly benefit from gardening technologies in the workplace and at home. A simple addition of flowers and plants in a conveniently placed elevated planter has been proven to reduce psychological stress and accommodate users with physical disabilities. Enterprises and product owners will do well in caring for their employees and humble homes by introducing such planters in their environment. I suggest that it may even prolong life and reduce turnover, a win-win for anybody.
It’s the year 2017 and many people are looking to build peace, tranquility and well-being into their lives. Finding a sense of balance in our lives can be a challenge in our fast-paced and technology driven society. Gardening continues to be one of those activities that are not only relaxing but also brings folks outdoors and can “unplug” for a while. Today’s gardeners are looking at creating an outdoor space that creates an atmosphere which promotes well-being and a haven to reflect, relax and recuperate. But, the creation of this haven can be more time-consuming than many folks are able or willing to spend as well as not all gardeners have a green thumb. So how can folks create their tranquil garden space with time constraints, limited resources and often limited skills? Can technology play a role in this and how?
Some of the gardening challenges which have turned into trends in 2017 are peaceful garden spaces that are: low maintenance, economical, simple but creative in design and adapt to both small and urban settings.
The small space and or urban setting is a common dilemma for many gardeners in our every expanding urban sprawl. How to we maximize our space while having a robust and interesting garden. Many gardeners decide to use containers of all shapes and sizes and in addition use container gardens that have multiple levels. Here you can have a variety of plants of all mix and match shapes, sizes, colors and heights to add dynamics to your container garden as well as fit a large variety into a small space. For gardeners using containers to adapt to smaller spaces they still have economics to consider. One consideration is what plants will give them the most color, fruit, growth and get the most bang out of the money they are spending. The second is new breeds of plants that will set their garden apart from their neighbors! As the gardeners of 2017 are reshaping their garden spaces with tried and true plants and exploring the new breeds and new color schemes they are taking into consideration maintenance and the time they need to keep their garden space flourishing throughout the season.
Moreover, today’s gardener understands the value of gardening at any level, skill or economy. Today’s gardener wants this activity to be family oriented and family involved. Today’s gardener wants a garden that their kids can work alongside them to cultivate plants, “unplug’ and reap the joys of the tranquility of the outdoor garden space. Can technology play a role in this and how?
Although the purpose of gardening and garden spaces is to escape our phones and social media but I believe technology will be the biggest trend in 2017 and going forward. Web apps are being designed to help all levels of gardening expertise and most especially the novice gardener. These apps will help us to create personally designed grow plans for each season. Imagine if you have a device that will let you know when and how much to water, what plants are best in which soil and climate and how much and what kind of nutrient to use. I believe in a society that gets most of its information on their phone an app to help us with our gardens makes a lot of sense. This web app can be used for personal gardens as well as community gardens where gardeners can chat online about scheduling and progress of their gardens. In addition, these apps can be useful in communicating and creating awareness in the community as well as educating communities about the importance and the necessity of gardening for not only personal well-being but for the community as a whole. Gardening communities can share photos and learn from one another. Moreover, kids can utilize these web apps in the creating, designing, maintaining and learning about plants and gardening and see the value of the web app. In conclusion technology, smartphones and gardening web apps are the trends of 2017 and beyond technology can aid the gardener in creating a tranquil haven that is economical, well maintained and creatively landscaped with the latest trends in plants, color schemes and garden designs.
Who doesn’t love having a beautiful garden? Having lovely flowers to look at is so satisfying, and homegrown vegetables always taste better. However, maintaining a garden can be a hassle sometimes – it can be hard to keep up with all of your plants’ needs, and because your plants can’t tell you exactly what they need, novice gardeners can end up confused and frustrated. Thankfully, there are many companies out there that know this and have designed products which can make gardening a bit easier.
In today’s smartphone-obsessed society, it comes as no surprise that there are a variety of apps which can assist with gardening. These apps can do a wide variety of things, such as provide flower combinations which will look good together, identify diseases and other issues your plants are having, and help you keep a record of your garden’s progress. Garden Plan Pro is an app which can help visualize plotting, as well as monitor weather and give advice on how to best grow different types of plants.
Soil sensors also come in handy for gardeners who love a good gadget – PlantLink will track soil moisture for you, and PlantSense Garden Gro Sensor can tell you how to adjust the way you take care of your plants. Edyn’s Garden Sensor and Water Valve takes garden sensors to the next level and actually waters your garden for you. These are just a handful, but there is a wide selection of sensors available which can monitor each of your plants’ needs.
When it comes to protecting your plants from animals, there are plenty of options available on the market. A step up from the traditional fake owl, the Garden Defense Electronic Owl uses sensors to detect any creatures and turns its head to look at and scare away these unwanted visitors. However, if fake birds aren’t exactly your style, the ScareCrow uses water to deter animals from feeding on your plants. Using motion detectors, it monitors specific plants and sprays any varmints that get too close.
These technological innovations can come in handy for companies. Whether they sell any of these products or use them to monitor plants on their own store properties, they are encouraging the use of techy gardening. For both individual product owners and larger companies, the ability to know exactly when to water and care for plants can help increase production of plants, and decrease water expenses. Gardening is also beneficial to the environment and can promote STEM learning. And of course, preventing wildlife from eating everything you grow is pretty helpful for a gardener. For any company, having these benefits is important not only because it is cost-efficient, but also because it allows the company to have a positive impact on the communities they serve.
So why not give it a try? With so many innovations available, gardening has never been easier. Download an app or buy a sensor, and get ready to learn about your plants in a whole new way!