A Daily Dose of Good News…
As a Valuable Mental Health Benefit Sometimes it feels like there is simply no good news in the world. Since March of 2020, those times seem to occur more frequently. A…
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A Psychotherapist’s Account: HT Interventions in Times of Crisis
Using HT for Mental Health in Puerto Rico By Pedro Arocho Soto Pedro J.Arocho Soto is a Doctoral Intern in Clinical Psychology at the Hospital (psychiatric) Metropolitano de la Montaña…
Rewild Your Connection With Nature
In our technology-driven existence, the natural world is too often managed as a commodity, something to be manipulated and exploited for profit. This attitude has become so ingrained in our…
Horticultural Therapy Improves Quality of Life in Geriatric Institutions
By Maria Cecilia Esposito Let me introduce you to Maria Cecilia Esposito from Mar del Plata, Argentina. She is an agricultural engineer from the University of Morón, Buenos Aires, Argentina…
Dormancy: Nature’s Answer to the Dark Days of Winter
The Flipside of Winter The winter solstice, for many of us, brings about feelings of melancholy, deprivation, a sense of loss. Here in the northern hemisphere, we are in the…
Child Development in Ecuador
Horticultural Therapy Visible Worldwide By Cecilia Viteri Let me to introduce you to Cecilia Viteri, a clinical psychologist from Ecuador whom I met in 2019. Cecilia works at the Institute…
AHTA Conference
Platform of Collaboration Climate change and Horticultural therapy? This topic and many others were on the minds of the collaborative virtual symposium in late October. The American Horticultural Therapy Association-AHTA,…
“Huerta Modelo”
Community Garden for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities By: Constanza Sabogal & Manuela Menéndez Let me introduce you to Constanza Sabogal Lagomarsino, horticultural therapist and Manuela Menéndez, occupational and horticultural therapist,…
Your Garden…Diversity in Action
Cultivating Diversity “When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.” ~ Minnie Aumonier, poet Your garden, with quiet confidence offers many lessons that…
Corporate World Explores Green Initiatives in Puerto Rico
by Perla Sofía Curbelo Santiago I want to introduce Perla Sofía Curbelo Santiago, a psychologist, public relations specialist, and horticultural therapist from Puerto Rico, who offers gardening activities for corporate…
Nature as Co-Therapist
Nature is the co-therapist within the therapeutic process and a key element towards healing. (Seagal, Harper, & Rose, 2021)
Therapeutic Horticulture for Elders & Adults with Autism
By Siang Yu THAM Let me introduce Siang Yu Tham, from Singapore.Siang Yu began her foray into horticulture when she worked in organic farms in France in 2013. She later…
Gardening Trends, Weltschmerz, and Therapeutic Horticulture
What does weltschmerzmean for horticultural therapy practitioners? They are well positioned to provide meaningful garden-based services for people during and after a pandemic.
Living Long Yes, but Healthier!
Healthy Aging & Therapeutic Gardens in our Cities By Karin Palmlöf Pavia Humankind is entering an unparalleled time in its demographic history. The aging of populations in many nations will…
Phenology, Mindfulness & Metaphor: A Therapeutic Trifecta
“Oak before ash, we are in for a splash, Ash before oak we are in for a soak” Ecological Science This Old English adage roughly implies that if oak leaves…
A “Friluftsliv” Perspective aids Survival during Pandemic Winter
Six ways to Survive Winter in the Best Way Possible In Denmark they call it “hygge”, in Sweden, “friluftsliv” and in Norway it is “koselig”. Regardless of which term you…
Bringing HT to Spanish Speaking Countries
Working Together to Advance Horticultural Therapy & Human Well-Being In Ibero-American Countries Guest Author: Leila Alcade in collaboration with Daniela Silva-Rodríguez Bonazzi We are about to finish the year and…
Your Body is Present…But where is your Mind?
Mindfulness Supports a Holistic Approach to Life. As 2020 comes to an end, our stress level as a nation is palpable. According to the American Psychological Association report: Stress in…
Small Clients, Big Challenges: Horticultural Therapy for Children in Peru
Healing Garden in Lima Peru In April 2019 we implemented a Healing Garden at an orphanage in Lima, Peru and in May 2 the horticultural therapy program began by serving…
My Journey into Horticultural Therapy
The purpose of this article is to encourage other people to be horticultural therapists and to use plants and gardening to improve people’s well-being, because we can make the difference.…
“Green Care” & HT partner in Seattle
Today, throughout Western Europe, Green Care Farms are a developing an innovative care concept that recognizes the importance of the psycho-social needs and quality of life for participants. Green Care…
HT Programs for Children with Autism
For several years I have been following Karthikeyan’s Vijayakumar, founder of Horticultural Therapy Healing Centre (HTHC) in Bangalore, India, work in India offering horticultural therapy programs for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and…
Horticultural Therapy as Rehabilitative Reform in the American Prison System
“My dorm is like winter, dark and cold, and this class is like spring. Not all plants make it through the winter, but with the help of this class, I…
Nature as the Protagonist of Change
By: Dr. Melissa Bezares- Hernández,Clinical Psychologist at Albizu ClinicMayagüez, Puerto Rico In this opportunity I would like to introduce Dr. Melissa Bezares- Hernández whom I met in November 2019 in Lima,…
Sensory Stimulation & Metaphors in the Garden
After practicing gardening as therapy since 2011 in a Rehabilitation Center in Lima, Peru I have become aware of two very important aspects of this practice: sensory stimulation and the…
Do Plants Have Feelings?
Recently while working with a group of 6th and 7th graders in a middle school greenhouse, I overheard a conversation between two students. The group was engaged in a transplanting…
Mi Semilla: Horticultural Psychotherapy Program in Ecuador
In January 2019 I met Cecilia Viteri from Guayaquil, Ecuador. She was on a short trip visiting Lima, Peru. We organized a small gathering to share our experiences using plants…
A Few Thoughts on The Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy
A few years ago, it became obvious that I was in dire need of a career change. I followed my heart and enrolled in the horticulture program at a local…
Horticultural Therapy in Peru
New Blog Writers Introduced HTI would like to introduce and welcome it’s two new blog writers, Daniela Silva-Rodriguez Bonazzi, from Peru writing this month about the introduction of HT in…
“Horticultural Therapy…What’s that?”
New Blog Writers Introduced HTI would like to introduce and welcome it’s two new blog writers, Colleen Griffin, HTR, from Maine who will be writing on a variety of topics…
Brainstorming and Researching Activity Ideas for Horticultural Therapy Practitioners
By Susan Morgan As an independent therapeutic horticulture consultant and practitioner offering activity based programming, I often work with groups at facilities where there is no available indoor storage of…
A New Professional Association Unites Therapeutic Horticulture and Nature Based Practitioners in France
By Susan Morgan A professional association has recently launched in France to connect a network of horticultural therapy, ecotherapy, and other allied practitioners across the country. The Fédération Française Jardins,…
Horticultural Therapy Institute Faculty Unite for Upcoming Workshop and Conference Presentation This Fall
By Susan Morgan This fall marks a special occasion: it will be the first time that all four faculty members of the Horticultural Therapy Institute will unite to co-present at…
Kaifa Anderson-Hall: Building Partnerships, Cultivating People-Plant Connections
By Susan Morgan Kaifa Anderson-Hall can share countless experiences of the meaningful impact that plants and horticultural activities have had on those she has served over the course of her…
Spring Flowers
By Susan Morgan With the start of the new season, we shake off the winter blues and look forward to the feelings of rejuvenation and rebirth with greener grass underfoot,…
Moving Up the Garden Lane: A New Horticultural Therapy Practitioner Shares Her Journey
Jan Lane, HTR, considers herself a “relative newbie” to the field of horticultural therapy. As a registered horticultural therapist, she finds her second career particularly rewarding as she blends her…
Zinnias, Lavender, and Horticultural Therapy: One Horticultural Therapist’s Viewpoint
By Susan Morgan Registered horticultural therapist Ellen Jones’ enthusiasm for her chosen line of work in horticultural therapy (HT) is immediately felt when you ask her to describe her favorite…
A Summer Sampling of Indoor Therapeutic Horticulture Activities
By Susan Morgan When it gets too hot outdoors for your therapeutic horticulture programming this summer, stay cool inside with inspiration from these activity options. Fireworks-Inspired Floral Arrangements. Artist Sarah…
Botanical Oddities: Examining Plant Curiosities from Four Different Environments
By Susan Morgan Therapeutic horticulture practitioners gain inspiration for activity planning from a variety of sources. These include attending conferences, sharing ideas with other practitioners and allied professionals, perusing social…
Online Resources for Horticultural Therapy Practitioners
By Susan Morgan Note: The resources listed here are based on the opinions of the author and others as indicated, not necessarily the Horticultural Therapy Institute. Review information sources for…
The Second Edition of Horticultural Therapy Methods is Here!
By Susan Morgan In connection with the first week of spring, we have just celebrated Horticultural Therapy Week, an event supported through the American Horticultural Therapy Association, that serves to…
Roses, Orchids, and Cacao
By Susan Morgan During the season of Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, and Carnival, love and celebration is on our minds. If you are looking for some interesting plant stories to…
An International Perspective on Horticultural Therapy in Taiwan and the U.S.
By Susan Morgan Chin Yung Wung has had the opportunity to practice horticultural therapy in two countries – her native Taiwan and the United States. Horticultural therapy (HT) is an…
2017 is the Year of the Daffodil
By Susan Morgan Each year, the National Garden Bureau selects a bulb, annual, perennial, and edible as the featured plant of its category. This annual list can invite horticultural therapy…
Horticultural Therapy Liberates Minds and Lives
By Susan Morgan A passionate advocate for social justice, community organizing, and food policy, Mark Bowen has navigated a unique career path that has included working on a Community Supported…
John Murphy, HTR, and Bullington Gardens: At the Intersection of People and Plants
By Susan Morgan Photos courtesy of John Murphy “I have realized that I’ve always been at the intersection of people and plants,” says John Murphy, HTR. “It’s what led me…
Cultivating Mindfulness Through the Use of Guided Imagery – Part Two
By Susan Morgan Note: This article is the second of a two-part series connecting the power of awe inspired by nature, mindfulness, and guided imagery from a therapeutic horticulture perspective.…
The Power of Awe and Nature – Part One
By Susan Morgan Note: This article is the first of a two-part series connecting the power of awe inspired by nature, mindfulness, and guided imagery from a therapeutic horticulture perspective.…
Abby Jaroslow, HTR, and Horticultural Therapy at MossRehab
By Susan Morgan Photos courtesy of Abby Jaroslow, HTR Patients and staff at MossRehab in Philadelphia have been overheard, saying “Everything I know about plants, I learned from Abby.” They’re…
Plant Adaptations: Metaphors for Overcoming Life’s Obstacles
By Susan Morgan Plants have acclimated to grow in all sorts of climates and growing conditions, whether they are cloud forests and rainforests or aquatic, alpine, or desert habitats. Native…
From High Tech to Horticultural Therapy
A special note of thanks: Many thanks to regular contributor Isabelle Boucq for her wonderful and informative contributions to the Horticultural Therapy Institute blog over the last three years! Isabelle…
Favorite Plants for Programmed Therapeutic Gardens
By Susan Morgan Horticultural therapy practitioners use their palette of plants in various ways with their clients – for the interesting stories about plants, their metaphors that help make sense…
A Globe Trotting HT
Tamara Singh is a lover of nature who knows no borders. After training in horticultural therapy at the New York Botanical Gardens with Gwenn Fried and working at the Rusk Institute…
Horticultural Therapy Cultivates the Mindful Experience at Silver Hill Hospital
By Susan Morgan During the warm season on the picturesque grounds of Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, Erin Backus, HTR, often leads her patients on guided nature walks…
Recent Studies Bolster HT Claims
Horticultural therapists starting a new program may want to bring scientific evidence to the table to convince skeptical decision makers. Fortunately an increasing number of researchers around the world have…
Therapeutic Horticultural Activities for the Winter Months
By Susan Morgan As winter approaches, horticultural therapy practitioners often have limited outdoor garden access during colder temperatures and inclement weather. However, there is a variety of indoor programming options…
A Rooftop Garden in a French Clinic
Macadam Gardens is a young start-up out of Toulouse, France that started out selling organic gardening products online and later decided to create vegetable gardens for companies. “By taking over…
HTI Director Rebecca Haller Receives AHTA Award
By Susan Morgan Congratulations to Rebecca Haller, HTM, director of the Horticultural Therapy Institute, for being the 2015 co-recipient of the Rhea McCandliss Professional Service Award by the American Horticultural…
Japan finds inspiration in the US
Masahiro Toyoda is an academic who is considered one of Japan’s foremost experts on horticultural therapy. A professor at Hyogo University, he practices and leads research in horticultural therapy. Toyoda…
Pacific Quest Takes an Innovative Approach to Wilderness Therapy
By Susan Morgan Photos courtesy of Travis Slagle, Pacific Quest Located on 13+ acres on the big island of Hawaii with 180-degree views of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Quest is…
Raising awareness about therapeutic gardens in landscaping schools
In France, the Truffaut Foundation has become an important supporter of therapeutic gardens and a go-to player for many starting a project. As a gardening chain with roots going back nearly…
Horticultural Therapy Connects with Youth at the Mental Health Center of Denver
By Susan Morgan Photos courtesy of Carol LaRocque When Carol LaRocque, LPC, HTR, began working at the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) four years ago, she balanced her caseload…
Welcome Susan Morgan
HTI welcomes our new co-blogger, Susan Morgan, to the “On the Ground” blog. She will work with longtime blog contributor Isabelle Boucq to continue featuring articles on a variety of…
In Canada, Forget for a moment fights for nature in hospitals
When she launched her crusade to bring nature to hospital waiting rooms, Jeannine Lafrenière knew all about waiting in hospitals. After she was diagnosed with basal-cell carcinoma, a type of…
A garden blooms in a French nursing home
The nursing home in Onzain in the Loire River valley is lucky. Not only it is located a stone’s throw away from Chaumont-sur-Loire, the site of the International Festival of…
Scottish association Trellis seeks to unite HT practitioners in Europe
After working for Thrive, THE social and therapeutic horticulture association in England, Fiona Thackeray founded Trellis, a Scottish association that has made its mission to “support health through horticulture.” “We…
HT Program “Under Construction” in Wisconsin
Curative Care Network is a non-profit serving children and adults with disabilities at seven locations in southeastern Wisconsin. As its mission statement reads, “Curative Care Network improves the function and…
French Healthcare and Landscaping Pros Come Together
The French association Jardins et Santé (Gardens and Health) last month organized its fourth conference on gardens in healthcare settings. As the French Minister of Ecology had just declared on…
Over 40 years, he designs a healing park in a psychiatric hospital
When he retires next month, Dominique Marboeuf will leave a transformed landscape in the French psychiatric hospital where he has worked as the head gardener for the last 40 years.…
Elkus Ranch introduces city kids to farming
Many of the children who get off the school bus at Elkus Ranch have never been on a farm before. Many of them can’t tell a sheep from a goat…
The Ability Garden in Wilmington, NC
Fifteen years ago, Phyllis Meole and others created the Ability Garden at the New Hanover County Arboretum in Wilmington, North Carolina. After several years of experience as an HT in…
Plants Soothe Patients in a Crisis
For the past five years, Jacqui Mehring has worked full time as an activity and horticultural therapist in a Behavioral Medicine Unit at Cone Health Systems (formerly Alamance Regional Medical…
New book ‘Therapeutic Landscapes’ is required reading for HT
Fifteen years after the pioneering Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations by Clare Cooper Marcus and Marni Barnes, here comes an updated and revised version that provides new research,…
‘Therapeutic Landscapes’ should be required reading
Fifteen years after the pioneering Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations by Clare Cooper Marcus and Marni Barnes, here comes an updated and revised version that provides new research,…
Experienced HTR starts new program in geriatric care facility in Atlanta
After 21 years as a horticultural therapist at Wesley Woods Hospital, a geriatric facility in Atlanta, Georgia, Kirk Hines is moving on. “It is not that they did not value…
French landscape company starts Terramie, a therapeutic garden franchise
The Pauchard family has been in the plant business for four generations and about 100 years, first running a nursery before adding landscaping and now therapeutic gardens to their activities.…
Tale of two gardens at the Life Enrichment Center in Shelby, NC
Horticultural therapy is blooming in North Carolina. This blog has already visited the programs of Christene Tashjian who works with sexual abuse victims and Sally Cobb whose work centers on…
Rehabilitation HT at Craig Hospital in Denver
Craig Hospital in Denver is a hospital specializing in the neuro-rehabilitation and research for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since 1982, the hospital has…
Struggling middle schoolers build their “Extraordinary Garden”
Claire : “We did everything here.“ Loïck : “It’s great. I love to plant tomatoes, strawberries, turnips, radishes.“ “Le Jardin extraordinaire”, the name is a reference to a song by French…
Portland garden promotes food justice
Kyle Curtis recently sent an update on Outgrowing Hunger’s activities. He reminds us that while Portand is considered a foodie mecca, “The further east one goes from Portland’s urban core,…
For rural retirement home residents, new garden is life-affirming
A solution against patient confinement, this garden in a retirement home in the rural town of Saint-Geniez d’Olt in the South of France is the brainchild of a newly arrived psychologist,…
A support group for sexual abuse victims uses the power of plants
“I was raped when I was 19. Over the next four years, my life became increasingly unbearable until I finally became suicidal,” explained Iris at a fundraiser for the Orange…
Sally Cobb brings beauty to dying patients and grieving families
“At the hour of your death, what would you rather be looking at? A wall, a television or a garden?” Sally Cobb has answered this rhetorical question by creating and…
“A garden on a tray” : a solution against the lack of space
As a landscape architect, Martine Brulé could not help noticing that the hospitals and retirement homes she was visiting were sorely lacking in landscaping and green spaces. This was in…
TERRAform, a planter box for gardeners in wheelchairs
Terraform, a wheelchair-accessible planter box currently used in about a hundred retirement homes, rehab centers and public gardens in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, was a long time in the…
Gardening with brain injury and stroke patients in France
This is a first. Today, we are going to visit a French horticultural therapy program, an award-winning garden for people who have suffered brain injuries and strokes. About five years…
Documentary celebrates community gardening in DC
Independent documentary maker Cintia Cabib produced A Community of Gardeners to show the diversity of community gardens in Washington DC, an urban center with an unsuspected number of hidden gardening…
At Bullington Gardens, high school students with developmental disabilities blossom
The Bullington Gardens in Hendersonville, North Carolina, is a 12-acre haven where visitors follow a nature trail through beautiful gardens and where schoolchildren come to learn about plants. About 10…
Welcome Isabelle Boucq
HTI welcomes, Isabelle Boucq, a French native and former HTI student as the author of “On the Ground” the new forum blog. Look for new posts each month with new topics…