Note: the following article was originally written in Spanish, and can be viewed in Spanish here.
I would like to introduce the PEI FARM CENTRE’s therapeutic horticulture program located in Prince Edward Farm. I was invited to their 2023 TH Conference to share our practice in horticultural therapy with institutionalized children. This is where I met Leah Collett and I asked her to share her experience. I hope you find it interesting!
An Inheritance of Agriculture
Known for potatoes, Anne of Green Gables and Canada’s best beach destination, Prince Edward Island (PEI) has a lot to offer. If you ever have the pleasure of flying to PEI, and being lucky enough to have a window seat, one thought will jump out to you about our island; IT’S SO GREEN! Agriculture is our inheritance here in this Canadian province.
In the middle of the capital city of our island, there is a strip of land that has its origins in the 1700s; the Experimental Farm. The Experimental Farm is the oldest in Canada and is the only one that is currently open to the public. In 2014, the PEI Farm Centre Association leased an eight-and-one-half-acre corner section of the farm with the vision to transform this space into a community garden, reclaiming its historical legacy. With the collaborative efforts of community partners and volunteers, the Legacy Garden came to life.
The Legacy Garden’s core mission is to foster a deep connection between the community and the earth, combat food insecurity, and create a secure sanctuary for marginalized individuals. A decade into its existence, this vision continues to evolve and gain traction.
Diverse Spaces Within the Garden
The Legacy Garden is a community garden with many different spaces for everyone. There are over 200 community garden allotments that are rented to members so they have garden space to grow their own food; caring for their plot themselves, which provides for their family. We have a community food forest that has a wide variety of fruit trees, berries and herbs. Through our goodwill garden, we on average donate over 5,000 pounds of produce each year. This produce is given to various charities in order to help alleviate food insecurity for the most vulnerable in our society. To further enhance our impact, we introduced a horticultural therapy program.
Therapeutic Horticulture
Our therapeutic horticulture program started in 2021. We initially worked with adults who have intellectual/developmental disabilities. We have branched out to begin to work with adults exiting rehabilitation or mental health facilities, and aid in their recovery. Participants engage in many different types of activities depending on their goals, abilities and their unique interests. We have found that participants enjoy their time in the garden and often wish that the program was longer! The garden’s therapeutic environment has led to noticeable improvements, including enhanced attention spans, increased resilience, and visible relaxation among participants.
Although we work with certain populations, we understand that the benefits of time in the garden can be universal. It can be sought out by anyone who engages in the space, and especially anyone who engages in our program. We have plans to engage with other people groups in our community as our program grows.
One of my favorite activities we did together this year in the program was creating a nature loom. This activity involved participants seeking out and harvesting flowers, tree branches, and greenery in buckets and then making selections to weave into the loom. It was a team effort and the results were beautiful. This activity helped the participants work towards their goals of socializing and engaging with one another and staff members, cooperating with others, engaging in fine motor skills, and using the dexterity it takes to weave an object. It was admired by many visitors to the garden!
Another favorite is our final-day barbecue! Participants collaborate to prepare a meal, usually involving kebabs made from vegetables that were grown in our garden, and a dessert involving an in-season berry. Participants get to take ownership of this final celebration with their friends, support workers, and invited family.
I love to bring participants into the herb section of our garden. We get to explore with our senses; I encourage them to touch, smell, look at, and sometimes taste the different herbs. We talk about what memories or associations different herbs bring out for each of us. This exercise opens up their imaginations and creativity, as well as helps them to see that their experience is valuable and important.
Some of the favorite connections participants made were the following: one participant smelled bananas when they smelled chamomile; another identified maple when they smelled lovage. Both of these responses surprised me! Now I have trouble not noticing these scents when I smell these herbs! In our programs, we pick herbs and use them in tea, bouquets, cooking, and more.
We value our herb garden and this summer have decided to renovate this space to better serve our programming. Our new space will feature places to sit (shaded and unshaded), themed beds, a bird bath, and signage for accessibility and usability. Choosing herbs and planning out our space with therapeutic horticulture in mind has been a meaningful experience and will be a future location for growth and development for our participants.
Collaboration
We have partnered with the Institute for Bioregional Studies’ Little River Farm, an organization located in the eastern part of the island. This collaboration enables us to utilize their orchard, vineyard, woodworking room, and barn, catering to different populations, such as veterans or individuals diagnosed with PTSD. The potential of Little River Farm holds great promise for Islanders.
In 2023, we hosted the PEI Therapeutic Horticulture Conference in which we invited members of our community to come and learn about the benefits of horticultural therapy from speakers from all over the world, including Daniela Silva-Rodriguez, director of the Peruvian Institute for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (IHTS-PE) and founder of the Peruvian Association for Therapeutic and Social Horticulture (APHTS). We felt this was an important step in introducing therapeutic horticulture to our island. Many different people attended from different sectors in our community, and we feel this will create opportunities for collaboration and partnership to help those in our community. We plan to run this conference again in Spring 2024. Stay tuned!
We extend a warm invitation for you to visit our island someday soon and witness the transformative power of therapeutic horticulture in Prince Edward Island!
