Plants, people, and healing is what horticultural therapy (HT) is all about. More specifically, HT is an evidence-based therapy that utilizes plant-based activities and gardening to gain physical, mental, and social well-being. 

I have practiced HT for those with Alzheimer’s disease, people with histories of trauma, mental illness, those in a hospice setting, and with those who are homeless or who require intensive rehabilitation in a long-term care program. I have also found HT to be helpful for people with substance use disorders. 

Horticultural therapy is a wonderful alternative and complementary therapy that can reach people of all ages. 

May Sarton sums up the potential of this return to the earth: “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”