HEALTHY HOBBY GARDENING

Sowing seeds and nurturing plants may lead to a wide array of benefits, from better mental health to a lower risk of heart attack.

- KAITLYN PHOENIX

WHEN YOU DIG into the dirt with your hands, it feels great physically and mentally. "Putting a teeny seed in the ground and watching it grow is an amazing thing," says Tammy Burke, the horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society, who oversees River Farm in Alexandria, VA. Burke has a degree in fine arts and says she creates a canvas with the colors and textures of plants.