Why Lawn & Garden Care Is Worth the Investment

Maintaining a healthy lawn and garden can feed your soul, relieve your stress, improve your health and protect the environment — and can even save you money!

Don’t believe us? Here are four research-backed benefits.

1. Surrounding yourself with nature is good for your mind.

Whether you’re walking through the woods or enjoying a simple meal on the deck, being outside does more than just make you feel good.

• Improves memory — multiple studies have shown that spending time in nature can improve short-term memory by 20%.
• Brings peace and clarity — being outdoors can elevate your mood and help relieve the symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.
• Relieves stress — when you’re relaxed, it’s easier to focus and concentrate on difficult tasks and come up with creative solutions to problems.

2. A well-maintained lawn and garden are good for your health.

When you live in a healthy environment, you not only feel healthier, you become healthier.

• Improves air quality — a healthy lawn and garden produces oxygen and removes pollutants from the air, making us breathe easier. In fact, one tree supplies enough oxygen for four people each day.
• Lowers blood pressure and reduces stress — According to this study, looking at plants and trees can lower blood pressure and reduce cortisol (the “stress hormone”) levels. High levels of cortisol can affect learning and memory, as well as weight gain and heart disease. 
• Reduce inflammation and boost the immune system — being in nature encourages activity and reduces stress, both of which help reduce chronic inflammation. 

Being outside also boosts your immune system, making it easier for your body to fight off minor illnesses like colds and flu. Preliminary studies even suggest that hanging out in the backyard can stimulate your body to produce anti-cancer proteins! 

3. Lawn and garden care is good for the environment.

A well-maintained yard helps protect you and your surrounding environment in many ways.

• Reduces soil erosion — strategic landscape planning (along with proper grading and drainage systems) can prevent soil erosion and flooding.
• Creates a habitat for wildlife — planting native trees, flowers and plants give local birds, pollinators and other wildlife a place to call home. 
• Reduces surface temperatures — if you’ve ever walked across a parking lot on a hot summer’s day, you know that grass is cooler than asphalt or cement (as much as 31 degrees cooler). As an added bonus, a lawn also reduces noise levels by 20–30%.

4. Landscaping is good for your wallet.

In addition to health and environmental benefits, creating and maintaining a beautiful landscape can have financial benefits as well.

• Lowers electric bills — Having grass and trees surrounding your home can lower your air-conditioning needs and save you money on your electric bill. Nice to have a little extra cash to do something fun with the family!
• Increases curb appeal — According to estimates from The Appraisal Institute, a well-landscaped home can increase your property’s value by 6–13% (or even higher). When it comes time to sell, if your home has poor curb appeal you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.
• Reduces water bills — Planting native species that need less water to thrive — along with smart irrigation and measures to reduce erosion —  can reduce your water bills. 

Good lawn and garden care can increase the quality of your life.

It makes sense to take care of your lawn and gardens and keep them healthy!

Keeping your lawn and garden healthy takes more than just running a mower over the grass, sprinkling it with water and pulling the occasional weed.

For more in-depth tips on caring for your lawn and garden, check out these posts:

• How To Mow Your Lawn Perfectly
• How To Prune, Fertilize And Mulch Your Garden
• How to Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn

Don’t want to do it yourself? Leave it to the professionals.

Caring for your lawns and gardens is rewarding — but it can also be time-consuming and a little overwhelming.

As always, the team at Brandon Rushing is happy to help. Check out our Property Care Programs and give us a call (or get a free quote with our online pricing tool).