You Do Not Have to Like Camping to Love Nature
A gardener who guides others toward nature says to find your own connection, and it does not have to be camping.
Nourishing Creativity with Chef Carla Contreras · Growing Creativity ⚡️ Gardening, Cut Flowers, and Creative Life Beyond Social Media with Jessica MurnaneJessica Murnane grows flowers for bouquets and works as a horticultural therapy practitioner, someone who uses gardening to support well-being. She was asked about loving nature versus camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities.
She did not hesitate. She hates camping, she said, and she does not really like hiking.
Murnane loves gardening. She loves taking walks in a park. She loves making pressed flower things, flattening blooms to save their color and shape. She said: "I have found my own way to connect with nature."
"Find your own connection. It doesn't have to be camping," she said.
As a practitioner, Murnane said, "one of my goals with my job is to help people find a way that they connect to nature."
Murnane puts it this way: "are you an ocean person or a pool person?" She said: "I'm more of a pool person. I like to see what's in the bottom of what I'm swimming in."
For her, she said, gardening, walking in a park, and pressing flowers are her way of connecting with nature.
Questions people ask
What does a horticultural therapy practitioner actually do?
They use gardening and time with plants as a structured way to support well-being. Sessions might include planting, tending, harvesting, or arranging flowers, often with goals like reducing stress, building routine, or increasing social connection. Practitioners usually train in both plant care and working with people with health needs.
I don't have a yard. How can I try this kind of nature connection?
You do not need land to start. A sunny windowsill, balcony pots, or a community garden plot can work for herbs or cut flowers. Regular walks in a public park, volunteering at a garden, or pressing fallen flowers also count as hands-on contact with nature.
What does it mean to make pressed flowers?
It means flattening fresh blooms between absorbent paper under weight until they dry flat. The dried flowers keep much of their shape and color and can be used for cards, framed art, or bookmarks. As general advice, garden plants like pansies and cosmos press especially well.