Horticultural Therapy

Horticultural therapy is the practice of horticulture as therapy to improve human well-being. According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, HT is defined as “a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind, and spirit.”

Designs That Share the Secret of the Garden
The American Horticultural Therapy Association is a champion of barrier-free, therapeutic gardens that enable everyone to work, learn, and relax in the garden. Horticultural therapists are skilled at creating garden spaces that accommodate people with a wide range of abilities. People with physical or mental disabilities benefit from gardening experiences as part of HT programs, and they learn skills, adaptations, and gardening methods that allow for continued participation at home.

Some techniques include:

• Constructing wide, gently graded wheelchair accessible entrances and paths.
• Utilizing raised beds and containers
• Adapting tools to turn a disability into an ability
• Creating sensory-stimulation environments with plants selected for fragrance texture and color
• Utilizing accessible greenhouses that bring the garden indoors for year-round enjoyment