2025 Winter Newsletter

Horticultural Therapy is making an impact on people’s lives.
Read more about how it’s happening.

HTI Director’s Note: Horticultural Therapy In Taiwan

By Rebecca Haller, HTM

A place of hospitality, great food and a profound sense of care

Last fall, at the invitation of a former HTI student, Man-Li Liao, I had the honor to witness firsthand the current use of gardening for therapy in Taiwan. A group of colleagues from the US, Korea, and Japan joined passionate Taiwanese professionals to travel to many parts of the island to visit health and human service programs highlighting horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture in practice. Like the US, Taiwan has a diversity of landscapes and human needs. We saw and heard from a wide variety of programs and professionals who offered horticulture as a means for coping and growing.

First stop was a look at inspired and impressive gardens and greenhouses on the farm being developed for therapy and wellness by our sponsor, Pao Uy Liu. Located in a tropical rural area very near the large city of Taipei, it is accessible to a large population. A passion for using gardens and nature immersion for mental and physical health is being put into action in a big way at this site. Thank you to Dr. Liu for such vision and generosity of resources and spirit.

A few of the other programs and features that we observed over the course of several days included a long-running mental health hospital with courtyard gardens and enthusiastic allied professional staff, a productive urban food garden grown by people with persistent mental health challenges, two separate beautiful gardens and greenhouses serving people with developmental disabilities, an urban center for people who live at home in retirement, and others. Highlights included creative enabling garden designs and methods, many clear instances of empowerment, understanding the importance of connecting with other parts of ‘nature’ in our everyday lives, and examples of putting those into practice.

Dr. Liao (Man-Li) has worked very hard since studying at HTI – achieving a doctorate, developing a series of classes in horticultural therapy at the  Graduate Institute of Landscape and Recreation Management at the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, helping to create a new healing garden on campus that incorporates areas for horticultural therapy, hosting an international symposium on horticultural therapy, and in many ways encouraging the professional and competent use of horticulture for therapy and rehabilitation in her country.

For more about the symposium content and outstanding speakers, as well as the development of HT in Taiwan see the January 2025 HTI blog

I look forward to seeing and supporting the continued advance of the work in Taiwan.

Rebecca Haller, HTM

New Certificate Series Begins this Fall

Learn how to combine a passion for gardening and helping people through the innovative field of horticultural therapy. Join students from across the country to learn more by enrolling in Fundamentals of Horticultural Therapy this fall at Anchor Center for Blind Children in Denver, CO Oct. 15-18, 2025. In addition the class will take a field trip to Craig Rehabilitation Hospital and hear from their horticultural therapist. Two additional on-line fundamentals classes will also be offered. Students need only take one.

Providing Excellence in HT Education

At the non-profit Horticultural Therapy Institute, our mission is to provide education and training in horticultural therapy to those new to, or experienced with, the practice of using gardening and plants to improve the lives of others. The remaining three classes in the HT Certificate program will be held in 2025.

The HT Institute has provided education in the field for over 20 years and is a leader in HT education. The director, Rebecca Haller, HTM is also one of the authors and editors of both major textbooks in horticultural therapy. The format of classes meets student’s unique learning style and are offered both face-to-face and online (synchronous). To begin the certificate program, enroll in one of the following sections of the Fundamentals of HT class. The Fundamentals of HT class cost is $950 or $760 for full-time college students. Classes fill quickly. Go to www.htinstitute.org  or call 303-388-0500.

Fundamentals of HT section I: Oct. 15-18, 2025 (online, mountain standard time)
Fundamentals of HT section II: Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2025 (online, mountain standard time)
Fundamentals of HT section III: Nov. 12-15, 2025 (online, mountain standard time)

Program Profile: Denver Urban Gardens:
An Organization’s Development of a Therapeutic
Garden Program

By Lara Wirtz Fahnestock, Director of Therapeutic Gardens

About Me

In 2011, when my daughter started first grade, I asked the principal if I could start a school garden. Gardening had always been part of my life, and I was teaching my children at home, but I wanted to create that opportunity for others. The timing was perfect—the school district had just received a grant for a Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) community garden. I helped design, build, and lead the garden as a volunteer and later joined DUG’s staff in 2015. After graduating from the Horticultural Therapy Institute (HTI) in December 2024, I now serve as DUG’s Director of Therapeutic Gardens and am excited to share the evolution of our Therapeutic Garden Initiative.

History and Vision

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) started as a grassroots movement in the late 1970s. A group of gardeners in Denver’s Northside neighborhood came together to create a space for local Hmong women to grow their own food. Working collaboratively, they transformed a vacant lot into what is now the Pecos Community Garden. Over the following years, more community gardens began to spring up as the group helped neighbors do the same.

DUG was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1985 to support Denver residents in creating sustainable, food-producing neighborhood community gardens. Since then, our network of community gardens has expanded across seven metro Denver counties. We currently oversee 200 community gardens and food forests, including more than 60 school-based community gardens.

Starting in 2004, DUG and the Colorado School of Public Health have explored the benefits of community gardens for adults. The first study, “Gardens for Growing Healthy Communities,” was a part of the Healthy People 2010 Initiative, a community-based research initiative looking at how gardens, as neighborhood places, support healthy living. The next study was a three-year (2018-2020) randomized trial exploring the physical and mental health benefits of community gardening, funded by American Cancer Society and conducted by researchers from multiple universities. These research studies confirm what every dedicated gardener knows: community gardening is good for you.

Through our youth education programs, DUG has witnessed the profound impact of gardening and outdoor classrooms on children. We also know that children with special needs have more barriers to getting outside in a comfortable, accessible, and accepting environment. With a gift and interest from a funder, in 2022, DUG began to explore the impact of gardens as therapeutic spaces more deeply, and our Therapeutic Garden Initiative (TGI) was launched.

Therapeutic Garden Development and Focus

The Therapeutic Garden Initiative began by assembling a diverse advisory team, including DUG staff, horticultural and wilderness therapists, landscape architects, sustainability specialists, clinicians, case managers working with special populations, artists, teachers, and school-gardening advocates. Together, the TGI Advisory Committee identified four key focus areas:

Accessibility and Design: Accessibility in a garden is a combination of the garden flow, a participant’s ease of movement and interaction with the physical structures, as well as a sense of being welcomed into the space, belonging. Every space has a natural Free Play area and a Contemplative/Sensory Garden.

• Unique Populations: Each of the therapeutic gardens serves a very special population with unique needs. These needs were considered when determining the design and the activities.
• Activities & Signage: Signs welcome participants into the garden and help guide them through the space and interact with the sensory plants and free play area. The activities include a combination of self-guided sensory and activity signs. We also created a Playbook with outdoor movement, mindfulness and art activities that can be led by teachers, case workers, caretakers and peers.
• Plants: In the contemplative sensory garden, we included annual and perennial plants that engage the senses and promote exploration.

Pilot Gardens

The first four pilot sites were designed and developed to support children who have experienced trauma, are living with a disability, or have emotional, social, and sensory needs. These spaces focus on creating a welcoming space of safety and acceptance, a space of respite where feeling the unique trexture of a lamb’s ear plant or the scent of mint can calm and reset their nervous system. Each site chosen had a TGI Advisory Committee member to guide design and implementation.

We chose our Four Pilot Gardens by considering the difference in populations they served and the available space.

• Tennyson Center: At this school serving children who have experienced severe trauma and abuse, the garden is an integral part of students’ daily routines, providing a space for self-regulation, social connection, and staff respite. Teachers report that many neurodivergent students calm more quickly in the garden. Favorite activities include creating garden art, exploring sensory pathways, making music, and enjoying teatime. The peace poles at the entrance were a student-led project, started during field day and completed as a senior project.

• Ellis South Elementary School: Developed in partnership with the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots Program, this garden serves refugee families as they build new lives in Denver. It provides a space to grow culturally relevant food, connect with nature, and foster a sense of belonging. Students engage deeply with the space—one young girl named a Silver Mound Artemisia plant “Hello Kitty” and visited it every time she came to the garden. A boy from Afghanistan requested strawberries so he could return every year when they fruit and later mentored another child in planting perennials.

• Blue Spruce Townhomes: In partnership with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Blue Spruce serves families transitioning out of being unhoused. The garden here provides an excellent opportunity for young people to take ownership and create beauty over the summer when few other opportunities are available to them. They helped paint the welcome posts with layered handprints, co-created a music wall with a neighboring school, designed a fairy garden, and harvested fresh cherry tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers.

• Earl Lee Evans Sensory and Community Garden at Firefly Autism: Located at a leading autism education center, this garden is designed for sensory integration, skill-building, and relaxation. Transitioning students care for the plants as part of a job-skills program, while an adult social club meets in the space weekly. Popular activities include sensory scavenger hunts, garden exploration, and bouquet-making, providing both therapeutic benefits and hands-on learning experiences.

Expansion

With proven success and growing demand, DUG is committed to expanding the Therapeutic Garden Initiative in a few key ways.

The DUG Playbook: A step-by-step guide for creating therapeutic gardens, including social-emotional learning activities, plant recommendations, and outdoor teaching strategies.
New Sites: In 2025, we will add therapeutic elements to five existing school-based gardens and incorporate them into all new DUG gardens moving forward.
Training and Support: Train-the-trainer sessions, the Playbook, and ongoing guidance will be available for staff, caregivers, and participants at pilot and new sites.

This summer I will continue working with all the pilot sites on more specific, goal-oriented  horticultural therapy programs including a program at Firefly Autism, aimed at increasing the food selection for youth with autism by growing their own food. I will also be teaching community wellness workshops, and starting in March, will host a quarterly Therapeutic Garden Forum call for connection and inspiration.
Let’s connect! Email me for more information about DUG or to be added to the TG Forum meeting list. [email protected].

Lara is a 2024 Horticultural Therapy Institute graduate.

Tips for Practice: Seeds of Change
Supporting those with Substance Use Disorders
Mental Illness & Chronic Homelessness

By Kelsey Tag

Substance use, mental illness, and homelessness have all been a part of my story, and in 2023 I began my path at HTI seeking alternative ways to support those who have experienced similar adversity. Along my journey I discovered that connecting plants and people has not only sparked joy, curiosity, and creativity, but has rooted me back to myself and society in ways that nothing else ever has.

In 2024 I started a volunteer horticultural therapy and mindfulness program through Depaul USA, whose mission is to end homelessness and support those affected by it. The specific house I worked with was Depaul’s Recovery House in Philadelphia– housing men recovering from substance use and homelessness from the ages of 25-elderly, all with co-occurring diagnosis. 

During the six-week course, we focused on mindfulness, breath work, and activities based in horticultural therapy. Working with plants soon became the resident’s favorite activity as we investigated herbs to make tea, learned the art of Bonsai, planted seeds and seedlings in the community garden, and “rooted” our own indoor seeds.

Residents became immersed and curious into the lives of plants, and because of the positive reactions and interest in the program, we were able to secure a grant to continue it in more houses including the newest program of Depaul – Old First House. Old First is a permanent supportive housing residency with residents stabilizing from chronic homelessness, substance use, disability, and mental illness. This population requires strong, ongoing, and empathetic support, and I hope these tips provide a baseline of understanding.

Acknowledging & understanding stigma – educate yourself and others on the newest findings in substance use, mental illness and homelessness. None are a choice, and stigma creates an obstacle for people asking, receiving, and maintaining help.

1. Mind your words – what does the word “relapse” or “disease” feel like to you? For those who have trouble, words are important. Over-using or choosing the wrong one can be the difference between life enhancement, stagnation, and reversal. Using strength-based positive wording and tone helps create an environment of hope and well-being.
   
   
2. Self-care & self-compassion – there is no self-care without self-compassion. Do you show yourself the same kindness, support, and care that you provide to those you serve? Find a strong self-care routine that works for you – compassion fatigue is real, and creeps up quickly. The quality of time you spend with yourself directly influences the quality of time you spend with others.
   
   
3. Person-centered, trauma informed care – care that is personalized to each individual – meeting them where they are at and being conscious that they have a diverse background- most of the time involving violence, abuse, and trauma. Ask yourself how you would want to be treated after a difficult time in your life. Respect personal space & healing variations.
   
   
4. Cultivate Joy– those struggling with substance use, mental illness and homelessness often need support cultivating joy. As gray and white matter changes in the brain because of maladaptation, it becomes more difficult for the brain to experience, cultivate, and sustain joy. Supporting creativity, curiosity, new skills, and community while acknowledging and engaging with joyful moments all help rebuild white and gray matter, bringing a person into balance and well-being. Enjoyment changes the way the brain functions!

Those with substance use disorders, mental illness, and no home deserve the same dignity, respect and understanding that every human does. No child has ever grown-up aspiring to live on the street, become addicted to drugs, or develop a mental illness. To heal from these adaptations, people must have continuous support, dedication, empathy, and compassion that has often been lacking in different areas most of their lives.

We can revolutionize the way in which we care when we learn the “root” of these adaptations and work with the individual in the garden of their lives – planting and tending the seeds of hope, change, joy, and ultimately, recovery.

Kelsey is a recent graduate of the HT Institute, has a certificate in horticultural therapy and is an addiction and recovery specialist, mindfulness practitioner and case manager.