Horticulture Therapy
Prepared by
Roy Reynolds
11/5/03
Introduction
Horticulture
therapy or plant therapy is the use of plants and horticultural related
activities to improve the physical, spiritual, and mental aspects of a person’s
life. This may be taken simply that all
horticulture activities are horticulture therapy but this is not the case,
“Horticultural therapy is a healing element”, (“What is Horticulture Therapy”).
Types of Horticulture Therapy
There are three main types of horticulture therapy
programs, according to the Galveston County Master Gardeners internet article
“The Three Main Types of Horticulture Therapy.” First, there is vocational
horticulture program which focuses on the professional aspects of
gardening. Next, there is the
therapeutic horticulture program which focuses on helping people recover from
illnesses or injuries. Lastly, there is
the social horticulture program which focuses on gardening as a relaxing
activity to bring people closer together.
Reasons for Horticulture Therapy
There are many reasons why horticulture therapy is
such a good activity for individuals.
First, plants are familiar to everyone and are a part of nature that
people can experience first hand. Given
the right plant(s), good results and growth can be achieved with a minimum
amount of effort, raising a person’s self esteem. Also, there are a wide range of activities
one can do that range from strenuous to nearly effortless. One can show self expression, because they
make there own choices and decisions.
When done it groups it gives people a sense of being need and being part
of a team. Lastly, gardening can give people a sense of security
as well as a sense of freedom, the same space can make someone feel enclosed
and secure or free by being out and
doing something on there own.
Benefits of Horticulture Therapy
Everyone can be benefited from horticulture therapy, it
doesn’t matter how young or old you are, if your alone or in a group.
Individual Benefits
There
are many individual benefits of horticulture therapy. It can be used as a form of physical or
occupational therapy to help people regain or keep their limbs
functioning. Gardening can give people a
sense of belonging, by giving you responsibility, and offer encouragement and
reassurance, by seeing the plant grow and bear fruit. Gardening activities can help remove stress
by allowing you to relieve your frustrations and anger without hurting anyone. Also, individually horticulture therapy offers
people an opportunity to reflect on events or a way of occupying their mind
with what there doing.
Social Benefits
There are social benefits to horticulture therapy when it
is done in groups. When people have
group therapy, they gain the social benefits of carrying on a conversation and
laughing as well as making new friends.
Also, by being in a group everyone is offering encouragement to each
other because everyone watches how similar difficulties are handled in
different ways.
Size of Horticulture Program
Horticulture therapy programs are
really diverse in size. They can range
from one person taking care of a single plant in a pot, to a community
garden. As long as plants are being
grown and enjoyed for there healing aspects, there is a horticulture therapy
program.
Types
of Plants
There are
many varieties of plants out in the market today. When designing a horticulture therapy program
it is important that easy to grow plants that are right for the growing
environment and that perform are chosen.
When choosing plants, there are many things that one
should keep in mind.
·
Is this plant easy are hard to grow?
·
Is the plant bothered by being touched?
·
Does this plant have attractive and/or edible
foliage, flowers, fragrance, and/or fruit?
·
Does the plant survive and look decent in a wide
range of environmental conditions?
If
the plant is easy to grow, is not bothered by being touched, and has some of
the other characteristics, it is probably a good choice for a horticulture
therapy program.
There are many books available that
can help you in choosing the right plant for the situation. Use the books they are a great reference
source and can tell you just about anything you would ever want to know about
the plant.
Where to Grow
There are many places plants can be grown the most
important thing to remember when planting them is that, unless there water
plants, where ever they’re planted it needs to be able to drain. Where ever the plants are being grown it has
to be assessable to who ever is caring for it.
Plants can be grown in a wide variety of places. They can be grown in containers, gardens, or
water gardens.
Containers
Plants be grown in containers anywhere, this is rather
important for individuals that live where space is limited. These containers can be anything that holds
enough soil for a plant to grown in, so be creative and show
individualism. Containers also give the
advantage of being moved, such as moving tropical plants outside for the
summer.
Gardens
Growing in a garden is a way to use land for a good cause. When growing in gardens consideration needs
to be taken into account to whose going to be working in it. When disabled or older people are to be
working in it, they would appreciate having the plants growing in raised or
trellised beds, so that they can do the work sitting down.
Water gardens are very diverse in size ranging from a
bowl with plants in it to a pond. In
fact, anything that holds water can be used as a water garden, use your
imagination. Water gardens can have an
amazing array of plants, which can range from duckweed to a ten foot cypress.
Conclusion
Horticulture therapy is not just
taking care of plants, but is the use of taking care of plants to improve the
physical, spiritual, and mental aspects of a person’s life. Everyone can be benefited by horticulture
therapy so go out, enjoy growing plants, and get the healing aspect that is
associated with taking care of plants.
Works Cited
“Horticultural (or Plant) Therapy” Accessed
<http://ebms.homestead.com/plants.html>
“How Does Horticultural Therapy Work?” Accessed
<http://www.growingcenter.org/howdoes.html>
Relf, Diane. Gardening in Raised Beds and Containers
for Older Gardeners and
Individuals with Physical
Disabilities. Accessed
<http://www.hort.vt.edu/human/pub426020d.html>
“The Three Main Types of Horticulture Therapy.” Accessed
<http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/the_three_main_types_of_horticultural_therapy.htm>
“Using plants as
therapy.” Accessed
<http://allsands.com/Health/Alternative/plantstherapy_zyj_gn.htm>
“What
Is Horticultural Therapy?” Accessed
<http://www.growingcenter.org/whatis.html>
“Who Can Benefit
From Horticultural Therapy?” Accessed
<http://www.growingcenter.org/benefit.html>
“Why is Horticulture a Good Medium for Work
With People With Special Needs?”
Accessed
<http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jane_Stoneham/jmcd.htm>