"HOW DO I KILL EVERYTHING IN MY GARDEN AND PREVENT ANYTHING FROM GROWING BACK, PREFERABLY ONCE AND FOR ALL?"

That plea was recently posted to an online forum. While we've all felt like giving up from time to time, this particular gardener seemed especially hopeless.

It's easy to give up when we don't see expected results. No one likes learning through failure.

My suggestion was to try a smaller garden or grow a single plant you love.

Forty-five years into it, I've learned that gardening is more than growing plants. It's about growing yourself.

Listening to a WSU podcast about how gardening supports brain health in later life with Katie Luna, I realized she was talking to my generation. Luna is a doctoral candidate working in the WSU Neuropsychology and Aging Laboratory. For over 10 years, she's studied how thinking and memory abilities naturally decline with age, or sometimes unnaturally with mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

As a 30-year-old, I never envisioned myself as someone who would ever get old. It never occurred to the younger me that a garden is not a 'one and done' endeavor, and that my garden would never be finished.

I'm grateful that I never gave up.

According to Luna, the three steps to aging well are to be active, positive and social.

Any physical activity that's good for your heart is good for your brain. Digging, raking, transplanting, weeding, watering and harvesting are considered low-to-moderate intensity physical activities for seniors. They benefit muscles, joints and bones while improving overall strength, flexibility, balance and coordination.

Gardening outdoors in the sunshine increases Vitamin D levels, another key in maintaining bone health.

And if you grow a food garden, you can check 'Heart-Healthy Diet' off your to-do list.

Older adults often say they can't wait to retire so they can finally relax. While retirement is something to look forward to, continuing to be mentally active is critical for maintaining a healthy brain.

There is a 'use it or lose it' framework for cognitive functioning. As we age, we don't want to lose any more than what we have already lost, and to maintain the cognitive functioning we have left for as long as possible. Whether it's learning a new gardening technique or how to grow a new plant, it's all good for the brain.

The planning and attention to detail that growing a garden takes not only improves cognitive functioning but is one more thing shown to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Planting a garden is an act of hope.

Gardening is a multi-sensory tonic for our brains. We feel the soil in our hands and the sunshine on our shoulders, hear the robins, smell the lilacs and taste a ripe raspberry.

Studies show that we underestimate the power of this connection to nature. Yet research shows that being out in nature, even subconsciously or for as little as 15 minutes, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure and can help manage anxiety and depression.

Whether we're 'doing' gardening or simply 'being' in the garden, having contact with nature is vital as we age.

Luna admits that she's not much of a gardener and was born without a green thumb. However, in preparing for the podcast, she observed that most Master Gardeners are above retirement age and staying physically and cognitively healthy by working, teaching and learning in the garden.

Being socially active improves wellness as we age, and gardening is one of the things that can be more fun if done in a group.

Whether it's commiserating about your gardens with your neighbor across the street, working in a community garden, or being part of a garden club or being a Master Gardener, social connections are vital. These connections lower stress, depression, and anxiety; and provide support during hard times.

Exposure to gardens and participating in simple gardening tasks are therapeutic for older adults living with early to mid-stage Alzheimer's disease or other memory impairments. Gardening and time outdoors improve sleep cycles, lowers agitation, and decreases isolation among older adults living in Memory Care Assisted Living.

There are many alternatives to in-ground gardening and ways to create more accessible gardening surfaces. Raised beds and large pots and planters can be worked without bending over. Some raised beds have enough space underneath to fit a seat or wheelchair comfortably, so gardening can be completed while sitting. Lightweight and ergonomically designed tools make gardening tasks easier.

I'm fortunate to be surrounded by friends who continue to be incredible gardeners well into their eighties and nineties. They are living proof that, "you don't stop gardening when you get old, but you get old when you stop gardening."

* Carol Barany and her husband, John, found paradise on 1 1/3 acres just west of Franklin Park, where they raised three children and became Master Gardeners. Contact her at [email protected].