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While edible plants offer delicious, nutritious food to sustain our bodies, ornamental plants appeal to our mindfulness and mental health (not to mention our desired aesthetics). They’re grown for decorative reasons, which makes them an attractive option for people looking to redesign their home or improve the look of their garden. But aside from the aesthetic charm, ornamental gardening offers many other perks. IF you’ve been tempted to pick up a shovel and get planting, let us draw up the list of pros to get you over the line (spoiler alert: we see no cons!)

We know that plants offer a bountiful array of benefits for our planet and its people. Throughout history, plants have been used as valuable resources for materials and clothing, for nutritional sustenance, as medical breakthroughs, an income for our communities whilst all along, helping us to breathe by producing oxygen and assisting in the preservation of the ozone layer. So the benefits of plants have been well-documented, right? But did you know the act of planting, and maintaining a garden can be deeply beneficial for you too?

Getting out into the sunshine to cultivate your own home garden can be an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience. Whether you are nurturing endless rows of flourishing flowers or growing your own deliciously fresh veggie garden, gardening offers a feeling of accomplishment along with an abundance of major health benefits.

As we dive into the month of love and anticipate the return of the little guy with a heart-shaped arrow, it is only natural that a lot of us will be reaching for the roses. And while of course, gifting your partner a bunch of roses or a bouquet of fresh flowers is a beautiful gesture and one we’re sure will be received excitedly, there’s an even better gesture of love to consider – Gifting A Garden.

Over the past few years, the ’grow-your-own’ movement has surged in popularity, particularly in major cities and urban areas. We’re seeing more and more Australian’s take to their balconies or yards to nurture their personal supply of fruits and vegetables. So why the growing enthusiasm and uptake in home-grown produce? Well, it’s in part due to growing awareness of the abundance of major health benefits it offers.

It can be hard to conceptualise that the soil beneath our feet and plants is biologically active. But unbeknownst to the naked eye, soil contains a myriad of diverse micro-organisms that interact with each other and with our plants, crops and other agriculture to provide essential minerals and nutrients for growth and sustainability. In fact, a teaspoon of soil contains up to 6 billion biologically diverse micro-organisms.

If you have dreams of an endless array of blossoming, fluorescent flowers lining your gardens, or perhaps some lush, fruitful trees of cherries and peaches, you’ll need to give them healthy, fertile soil to make it happen!

Since the Covid pandemic ravaged supply-chains worldwide, Australian’s have experienced first-hand the domino effect that food supply issues have on our everyday lives. From panic-buying in grocery stores, to supply shortages at our favourite restaurants, the holes in our national food system have been thrust into the spotlight over this past year.

You might have heard us here at SoiLife talk about how important it is to have fertile soil. You may have even read our proclamation that ‘life begins at soil’. But what does that truly mean and why are we so passionate about it?