How Gardening with Therapeutic Horticulture Benefits Holistic Health

It’s not a coincidence that our society is experiencing mental health, chronic disease, AND nature disconnection crises all at the same time. Our holistic health consists of our emotional, cognitive, spiritual, social, and physical health, which – in this day and age – is far removed from interacting with gardening (actively or passively).

🎤 Let me repeat: This is not a coincidence. 

It’s also not a coincidence that:

• Gardening skyrocketed when COVID-19 pandemic hit
• You feel good whenever you are outside (weather permitting)
• Plant colors energize and calm our nervous system
• Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time 

💡We instinctively know we’re meant to have a relationship with nature for our holistic wellness.

💡We instinctively know nature is a gift from our Creator designed to be the PRIMARY source of healing and health for all living things on Earth. 

Every living thing relies on the success of plants. And, the foundation for that success is healthy soil.

Yet, the further we are pulled away from nature >>>> the further we are pushed into illness.

“The percentage of Americans living in urban areas has steadily risen since the 1930s, and now more than 80% of residents live in cities instead of the countryside.”

Dr. Jay Maddock via Texas A&M

“Adults consumed six hours of digital media, across television, computers and mobile devices like smart phones by 2018, and that total exceeded eight hours by 2022.”

Dr. Jay Maddock via Texas A&M

And, it’s not our fault… 

However, once we are aware of this… It’s our responsibility to wake up, rise, and regenerate our connection to nature for our holistic wellness. 

More than ever before, we NEED a better holistic wellness approach to mental health and chronic diseases. 

And, THIS  is where therapeutic horticulture (TH) saves the day. It’s a nature-based, people-focused holistic wellness strategy. It is also known as therapeutic gardening or garden therapy.

I believe this intervention is one of the many bridges people can easily use to connect with plants for personal wellness. 

It’s a way for people to easily reconnect with nature intentionally and bring gardening to those who think they have no green thumbs and are strapped for time and energy. 

3 ways therapeutic horticulture differs from just gardening:

If your friend signed up for a “How to grow lavender” gardening class and you signed up for a “How to grow lavender” therapeutic horticulture (TH) session… you WILL have two entirely different experiences.

Because, TH is an extension of gardening and, here’s why:

1. The relationship

In gardening, the relationship experience focuses on one side: The plant. You learn skills and information on how to grow and nurture the plant.

In TH, your part in the gardening experience is awakened and acknowledged. You understand why you need and want to connect and cultivate plants so that the plants can grow to give you the healing and health you specifically need.

It’s symbiotic relationship building at its finest.

The relationship between the person and the plant is equally focused. And the icing on the cake is you don’t need any gardening skills to participate in this duo.

Yes, no green thumbs are needed. ALL stages of gardening are welcomed to this modality. 

Although horticulture skills are acquired in therapeutic horticulture, having a gardening skill set is not necessary for the goals of TH. This practice is ALL about strengthening the interconnection between people and plants for well-being.

2. The Purpose

Being in a garden or gardening in itself is therapeutic. In a therapeutic horticulture session, it goes deeper than “just being.” 

Gardening focuses on the product of a plant, crop, or flower.

Whereas, therapeutic horticulture focuses on the process of connecting people with plants. During this process people are connected to how AND why cultivating nature improves their mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and social well-being.

For instance, If I were leading you in a TH session and the goal of the day was to prune lavender. I would begin with activating your senses to connect you personally with the lavender, then teach you a pruning skill set and why pruning is an important horticulture activity.

Next, I would guide you in pausing to focus on the sensory activation part of the activity. Like rubbing your fingers over the lavender buds to open the flower’s aroma.

This way you will understand how the pruning activity affects you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. ⭐️

If gardening is the plant, therapeutic horticulture is the interconnected root system feeding the plant.

The beauty of this method is you plug into the process of gardening without EVEN physically gardening.

That’s right, TH paves the way for us to improve our health by connecting with nature without physically gardening. A lot of us have physical limitations, a busy schedule, and low energy…and these are the obstacles TH is designed to move around so your self-care isn’t compromised.

3. The Content

The content in TH is richer. Think of it as the delicious middle of a yummy layered cake.

This practice pinches off a piece of human science knowledge, pours it into plant science education, and then mixes it with the wisdom of horticultural therapy to produce a forest of wealth for your wellness.

You won’t just learn about a lavender plant and how to nurture it… you will discover ways you personally interact with lavender to grow your health. For instance, you’ll learn answers to:

“Why does the smell of lavender calm me?”

“Why do I love lavender so much?”

“How can I use lavender to grow my emotional health?”

In TH, gaining gardening knowledge and harvesting plants is just a bonus.

5 Holistic Health Domains TH Benefits

What is Horticultural Therapy?

According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), the technical definition of therapeutic horticulture is:

“Therapeutic horticulture is the participation in horticultural activities facilitated by a registered horticultural therapist or other professionals with training in the use of horticulture as a therapeutic modality to support program goals. Therapeutic horticulture is the process through which participants enhance their well-being through active or passive involvement in plant and plant-related activities.”

American Horticultural Therapy Association

TH is under the same nature-based therapy umbrella as horticultural therapy. However, HT is more clinically based.

Horticultural therapy sessions are led by a registered horticultural therapist and incorporated into well-defined treatment plans.

Root in Nature does a great way visually explaining the difference between the two: