ABSTRACT
Horticultural therapy uses gardening as a basis for wide-ranging human services, including physical and psychological rehabilitation, vocational skills development, behavioral healthcare, social development and inclusion, long-term care and hospice, and overall health and wellness. The roots of horticultural therapy began with an awareness of the benefits of gardening for psychiatric patients as illustrated by Friends Hospital, which built a greenhouse for patients in 1879. Horticultural therapy uses gardening and plant-related activities as an intervention method to promote cognitive, physical, psychological, and/or social benefits. Horticultural therapy is a multidisciplinary field, with skills and knowledge needed in the areas of therapy, horticulture, and horticultural therapy. Treatment planning and implementation use a standard process in all therapies and include assessment, goal identification, intervention plan, intervention, documentation, and termination. Horticultural therapy methods are based on active engagement in gardening and related activities. Theoretical bases for horticultural therapy’s efficacy are as mixed as the practice is varied, yet a few principles are common.
