God Almighty first planted a garden.And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures. (Francis Bacon)

At this point in time, nobody can deny that gardening has significant benefits for our health. Renowned scientists and Universities from several countries have studied their physical and psychological effects, and they have been the subject of many scientific publications:  Professors from the University of Texas ask 298 senior citizens , CNN Health.

The first evidences of “ornamental horticulture” can be traced back to the year 1500 BC and every culture has a vast number of references regarding this subject.

Are people who grow plants happier than those who do not? There are many people who would support this statement. Being in contact with the soil, practicing a physical activity that involves taking care of something that grows in front of us, causes the brain to release endorphins, which makes us feel happier. Some compare gardening to the effects of some medicaments.

Lanzarote’s Biosphere Reserve, aware of these benefits and the need to divulge this knowledge, organised a conference titled Plant(e)ar la ciudad, el jardín como proyecto de sociedad (Considering/Planting the City, Gardening as a Social Project) as part of the “Hablemos de la Biosfera” (Let’s Talk About the Biosphere) series of conferences on the 5th of October; this conference addressed all these benefits and their application to a global social context.

Lanzarote offers a great variety of native plants and thus it makes sense that they are used as ornamental decoration in private and public gardens. For this purpose, a book, whose title has been used for this entry, was edited in the year 2007 and is available here: Lanzarote’s Native Plants and Their Use in Gardening.

We hope you find it useful and enjoy reading it, taking advantage of the information it contains and applying it to the gardens and/or surroundings of the companies that are members of the Biosphere Reserve’s Tourism Product Club.

After this declaration of intentions and principles, all that is left is to turn a new leaf,
get out into the garden and look inside ourselves.