Published on Saturday, June 13, 2026

By Victoria Torley

... is worth ten on the psychiatrist’s couch.

When I can’t get out into the garden, I can get really cranky. Just ask Metric Man, he knows.

A gardener stuck in the house gets upset over a lot of little things. Lights left on, clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, we all have our annoyances. And what do we do? We go out and garden and then we don’t get angry over the clothes, dishes, and lights, in fact we are too happily tired to notice them.

Out in the garden you can get angry over things that really count like bugs and ants and wilted leaves. You can cuss at them. You can tramp all over the area looking for nests that should be destroyed. You can get upset and cry when the neighbor’s cows get into the corn (if only you knew enough Spanish to really give him a talking to!). You can pull weeds and shake them (wishing they were your neighbor... or your spouse).

You are in the garden and working hard. Working up a sweat. You are exercising!

Exercising can be a real bore, but gardening doesn’t seem like exercise. Like 30 minutes on a treadmill, gardening releases endorphins and endorphins are painkillers and also produce a feeling of euphoria. You feel good after you work in the garden. Tired but good.

 

There is a feeling of satisfaction that arises when you garden. This is not seemingly pointless exercise; this is productive exercise. This is exercise where you see the results in tiny sprouts and growing, then leaves, flowers and vegetables. Things you can take into the house and say, “I grew this.”

Gardening makes you hungry and provides a snack at the same time. Pop a couple of green beans or a cherry tomato in your mouth, or pick a carrot and rinse it off. Thirsty? Pick a mandarina or an orange. Drink out of the hose (yes, I know people say it’s bad for you, but I have been doing it all my life). Snacking on fresh foods is healthy and don’t forget to pick some for dinner.

At the end of a day of gardening, you are stronger and fitter; you have exorcized the demons of dishes and laundry. You have released endorphins and have an elevated mood. You have been eating fresh healthy foods. You are tired, but it is a “good tired,” one of accomplishment.

Now, go up to the house and have a beer on me. You deserve it.

Plant of the week. The white shrimp plant (Justicia betonica), which looks like the lollipop plant but isn’t in the same genus, is an easy little shrub to grow. It reaches a height of about 1 meter and is lovely when grown with a shorter variegated plant in front of it or mixed with the pink shrimp plant for extra color. Grow the white shrimp in full sun or very light shade.


It can tolerate some drought. I like the tinge of purple on some of the blooms. You can prune the plant back after it finishes blooming for more compact growth in the next cycle.

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Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on the AM Costa Rica Garden Magazine. Questions on this article, Ms. Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com
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