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Landscaping Speeds Recovery
As well as saving energy, research has indicated that the physiological and psychological properties of plants make us feel happier which in turn improves our health and lifestyle.
Scientific research has shown that patients who can see plants recover faster and suffer less stress.
Roger Ulrich, Professor at Texas University, sees this as perfectly logical as the link between plants and man's chance of survival have been genetically established during the course of evolution.
The results of his research, which were published in Science magazine, have confirmed that an environment containing plants helps sick people recuperate more quickly and aids the recovery from stress-related symptoms.
Comparing two sets of patients who had undergone the same surgery, Ulrich found that the one group who were discharged earlier than the other showed less post-operative symptoms and made fewer demands on the hospital staff.
Both groups had the same level of care with one exception - those who were discharged first were in rooms with a view of the park, whilst the other group had rooms with a view of a blind wall.
These findings come as no surprise.Gardens have been laid around care centres since the 12th century.
In studies with Hartig, Ulrich has shown that being able to see plants can also reduce stress.
In one particular programme, students who viewed slides of natural landscapes felt a greater reduction in anxiety and a greater increase in positive emotion than those viewing slides of barren or built-up urban areas without vegetation.