Updated October 2024
People & Plant Care
- Horticulture For Healing provides plants and self care resources for each recipient. Our Care kits compliment the journey of those in professional clinical treatment. Our kits are intended for people who are in recovery from trauma, mental illness, substance misuse, and/or power based personal violence and abuse. We are not limited to serving these populations. Our kits are versatile and customizable, designed for the specific needs of each population we work with.
Caring for plants goes hand in hand with self care. Not only do these two actions help the body heal physically and emotionally, they can also be used as support tools for people who are in a time of transition, healing, recovery and/or relocation by helping them to gain and practice nurturing techniques for their mind and body though caring for a plant. Many of the individuals that Horticulture For Healing support come from a background substance dependence, addiction, mental health illnesses, and/or a prevalence of violence, sexual, and emotional abuse, and have had little to no room for experiencing the healing and empowering benefits of therapeutic horticulture
Horticulture For Healing meets people in that space, moving past shame, guilt and hopelessness into a place where one can begin to own their life, nurture themselves, engage in the exploration of nature, and reaffirm self-esteem and self worth.
Included the Plant Care Is Self Care Kits:
Plant, clay pot and water tray
Issues of Joanna’s People & Plant Care : A zine for anyone in a time of healing, recovery, displacement, or relocation.
Plant care pocket guide
Plant spray bottle
Various illustrations and stickers
Blank Journal
Writing utensil
Herbal stress relief sachet
People & Plant Care workshops:
- After our partner receives the Plant Care Is Self Care kits, Horticulture For Healing will set dates for workshops. We specifically tailor and design each Plant Care Is Self Care workshop and kit for the specific center and participants at the center at no cost to the facility. Workshops are usually for a 4 month commitment meeting 1-2 times a month to start.
- Workshops touch on topics that are inline with Horticulture For Healing foundations :
- The basics of developing and practicing healthy daily living routines Radical self careLearning how to nurture your mind and body though caring for a plantplant propagation staring seedlings
- repotting
- A variety of plant related activities such as fairy gardens, dried flower practice, and garden meditation.
- Learning the value of a handwritten creative mini magazine “zine” in today’s digital world, focusing on the value of telling your story and being heard.
- At Horticulture For Healing’s core lies the foundation on which our Plant Care Is Self Care Kits and workshops are built: making treatment modalities accessible to all.
- We provide support and resources for folks who are beginning to claim their space and build strength and confidence while in recovery at residential substance use treatment, survivor homes and transitional housing residencies throughout Florida and beyond.
- When transitioning into society participants will be able to take their learned therapeutic horticulture techniques and tools into their lives. These can be used in times of stress, strong emotional ups and downs, and the rollercoaster of life that recovery often is.
- In order for us to hold regular meetings and be reliable and available to the recipients of our care kits: if the facility doesn’t have the necessary resources available to have a virtual workshop – Horticulture For Healing is able to provide a laptop or tablet for the facility to ensure virtual meetings.
- Our intention is to be a source of support for anyone a time of recovery, transition, and healing. A major part of this project is to hold consistent workshops and be available 2 hours a week/bi-weekly-or monthly to hold discussion workshops for participants in the recovery facility about self care and taking care of plants. We have set aside time to be available for phone calls as well.
Hands on People & Plant Gardens
- We are proud to share that our very first partner provided us with an amazing opportunity to come full circle with Horticulture For Healing’s mission!
On March 3rd 2021 we implemented part of our original Pre-covid project and garden plan! (photos)
- Horticulture For Healing’s first partner was to be the site for our original project: building raised urban garden beds/holding radical self care/plant care workshops at the garden. COVID19 caused us to put our project on hold. In the beginning of the pandemic Plant Care Is Self Care kits were born.
- We planted native Florida plants (emphasis on native to invite essential pollinators and conserve water) in their available garden space.
- This opens up space for H4H to hold outside workshops while providing a safe fresh green space for residents to get some garden therapy between group sessions
That day we were able to not only plant gardens with residents but held a Plant Care Is Self Care workshop too, bringing us full circle.
Since October 2020 H4H has impacted 428 individuals through our in person and virtual therapeutic horticulture workshops
Q & A :
- Is Horticulture For Healing a sustainable project?
The project sustainability of Horticulture For Healing will follow:
We are actively designing a comprehensive online tool: The Horticulture For Healing Template. This template helps users adopt and implement the Horticulture For Healing garden plan, Plant Care Is Self Care Kits and curriculum at women’s shelters, domestic violence centers, sober homes, halfway houses, and residential addiction treatment residences and Human Trafficking prevention organizations throughout the country and abroad. This ensures increasing capacity of this project and organization.
For existing projects, The Horticulture For Healing (H4H) Template will be given as a downloadable copy for every treatment center and housing unit that hosts Horticulture For Healing. This will ensure the longevity of the gardens, Plant Care Is Self Care curriculum, and the organization. The H4H template includes and offers zoom/video mentorship for locations that would possibly like to implement Horticulture For Healing in locations in which we are unable to reach geographically.
How does Horticulture For Healing connect individuals to nature at a distance?
Our therapeutic garden projects have an immense positive impact not only on humans but on the relationship between humans, animals, and plants. We promote nurturing our individual souls while nurturing plants creating a much needed human to nature connection for folks that would otherwise not have the opportunity or chance to connect to nature in this way. By receiving a care kit one can begin the journey to discovering their inherent connection to nature.
Through our Plant Care Is Self Care Kits and workshops, each recipient possesses new resources to discover and claim their inner beauty, value, power and space while in a time of healing and recovery.
