Horticulture For Healing (H4H) designs and builds garden beds, People & Plant care kits (also known as Plant Care is Self Care) and virtual/in person therapeutic horticulture workshops and programs. Our kits are custom designed to meet participants unique needs, abilities, and life experiences.
Therapeutic horticulture is a nonclinical therapeutic modality that uses plants and plant-related activities though which participants strive to improve their well-being though active or passive involvement. The leader of the program will have training in the use of horticulture as a medium for human well-being (American Horticultural Therapy Association, 2007).
Research has shown that looking after plants can help cultivate a sense of responsibility, encourage the practice of nurturing behaviors, reduce stress, increase emotional resilience and well-being, assist in developing the capacity for delayed gratification, and provide a connection to the larger world outside ourselves.
Horticulture is a professional word for the art and practice of indoor and outdoor gardening and plant cultivation/management. Recent studies have shown horticulture can strengthen the mental and physical health of practitioners, foster community reintegration, nurture the spirit and aid recovering people in developing healthy daily living routines.
Please visit our Care Kits & Workshops button to learn more about our past and current partnerships.
Our Plant Care is Self Care kits and workshops are used as creative outlet for radical self care practices when in a time of recovery and healing.
Our Care Kits have been distributed to:
Residential treatment and transition homes (STEPS, Inc. , Aspire Rehabilitation)
Alternative high schools for under-represented youth (Pace Center for Girls)
Survivor/safe homes (Selah Freedom)
Used to build and apply coping tools and self care practices for individuals who are in a time of transition, relocation, healing and/or recovery.
People & Plant care kits (also known as Plant Care is Self Care) are custom designed and curated for each rehabilitative enviroment we partner with.
During H4H’s programs, participants will be outside connecting to natural space while learning to be more present in their environment, discovering self soothing activities, creative expression, gaining confidence and reaffirming self-esteem and self worth.
Without life coping skills people who are in early recovery can face falling back into active addiction, living with mental health challenges, finding safe and affordable housing, employment, and a safe life balance. Horticulture For Healing provides the time and space to discover and develop tools to be used during life situations as a person recovering or in transition, though therapeutic horticulture.
When building and designing gardens, just as the design of each care kit is unique to the specific participants receiving the kits, we set the intention to design meaningful and effective gardens that can be created for the benefit of the users.
There are many options for garden design, some examples from past gardens include creating pollinator gardens (gardens designed to attract insects including butterflies, caterpillars, bees, and even birds) that usually contain native plants to that specific area and sensory gardens which have a collection of plants that are appealing to one or more of the five senses; sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.
Alongside the garden installation, we provide therapeutic horticulture workshops which include horticulture activities such as propagation, watering, weeding, garden design, companion planting, plant care as a form of self care, and assessing general plant health. We are continuously developing our programming, designing creative activities including seed art, pressed flower bookmark making, the art of drying plants, emotional flower arrangements, and fairy gardening which can all be modified for the specific needs of the participants.
Our service provides a monthly supporting site visit as needed and contact info to answer any questions and provide support. Along with delivering Plant Care Is Self Care Kits, we provide monthly, bi-weekly workshops.
Not only does Horticulture For Healing advocate for the body and mind restoration that takes place from working with plants, H4H is willing to stand as a personal reference for employment and educational applications before and after leaving transitional housing or treatment.
Practicing therapeutic horticulture can support people in living healthier lives by regaining life balance, growing self kindness, confidence and strength to move forward during a time when it may seem impossible to do so.
Horticulture For Healing recognizes the need to contribute to the decolonization of mental health. We are constantly learning, evolving and growing, trying our best to become fully inclusive as we continue to expand.