Horticultural Therapy

The benefits of gardening and plants have been recognized since ancient times, dating back to the therapeutic effects of the gardens of Mesopotamia in 2000 B.C.. The positive impacts of horticulture gained further popularity in the nineteenth century for the hospitalized patient population, and furthermore in the aftermath of World War II due to its beneficial outcomes for veterans. However, this area, entitled horticultural therapy, was not established as an official field and type of therapy until 1973, when the National Council for Therapy Rehabilitation through Horticulture was established. However, the governing body changed names in 1987 to what it is today, the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA). The AHTA is a non-profit organization which seeks to promote and advance the practice as a therapy and rehabilitation modality. A position paper officially defining this therapy was published by the AHTA in 1997 and in 2013, the AHTA Standards of Practice for Horticultural Therapy were released by the organization.

The AHTA defines horticultural therapy as “the engagement of a client in horticultural activities facilitated by a trained therapist to achieve specific and documented treatment goals." Particular types of gardens are used in this therapeutic approach, called enabling gardens. Essential characteristics of these gardens are that they are ‘barrier free.' This allows for a person, regardless of their age or disability, to be able to access these gardens and participate in gardening activities, such as raking leaves, sowing seeds, and weeding. For example, an enabling garden for someone in a wheelchair would provide ground that is firm and relatively flat. The treatment itself can be completed individually or in groups with a registered horticultural therapist. To become a horticultural therapist, targeted training and education is required to earn the credential of Horticultural Therapist-Registered (HTR).

In modern times, horticultural therapy aims to improve health and well-being in physical, emotional, and mental domains. More specifically, horticultural therapy interventions are used to help clients regain lost skills or abilities but also learn new ones. The treatment has also been reported to enhance cognitive and language ability, memory, and social skills. In addition, it promotes independence and problem solving. Research has been completed on horticultural therapy in a range of ages and across different disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, and in hemiplegic patients who have suffered from a stroke. In the elderly as well as young children, positive psychological impacts include social connectedness, emotional intelligence, and prosocial behavior. Evidence show that, at least in part, these aforementioned benefits are related to horticultural therapy’s capacity to reduce anxiety and depression.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 DiNardo, M. F., DePrado, L., Polanin, N., & Flagler, J. (2013, July). *Enabling gardens: The practical side of horticultural therapy*. Rutgers. https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1208/
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 American Horticultural Therapy Association. (n.d.). *About the American Horticultural Therapy Association*. https://www.ahta.org/about-ahta
3. ↑ American Horticultural Therapy Association. (n.d.). *Our mission and vision*. https://www.ahta.org/mission-vision
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Horticultural Therapy Association. (n.d.). *Definitions and positions*. https://www.ahta.org/ahta-definitions-and-positions
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Adevi, A. A., & Mårtensson, F. (2013). Stress rehabilitation through garden therapy: The garden as a place in the recovery from stress. *Urban Forestry & Urban Greening*, *12*(2), 230-237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2013.01.007
6. ↑ American Horticultural Therapy Association. (2016). *Education for horticultural therapists*. https://www.ahta.org/assets/docs/AHTA\_HT\_Definition\_Final.pdf
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 American Horticultural Therapy Association. (n.d.). *Horticultural therapy: History and practice*. https://www.ahta.org/what-is-horticultural-therapy
8. ↑ Kamioka, H., Tsutani, K., Yamada, M., Park, H., Okuizumi, H., Honda, T., Okada, S., Park, S., Kitayuguchi, J., Abe, T., Handa., S., & Mutoh, Y. (2014). Effectiveness of horticultural therapy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. *Complementary Therapies in Medicine*, *22*(5), 930-943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.08.009
9. ↑ Ng, K. S. T., Sia, A., Ng, M. K., Tan, C. T., Chan, H. Y., Tan, C. H., Rawtaer, I., Feng, L., Mahendran, R., Larbi, A., Kua, E. H., & Ho, R. (2018). Effects of horticultural therapy on Asian older adults: A randomized controlled trial. *International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health*, *15*(8), 1705. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15081705
10. ↑ Park, S. A., Cho, M. K., Yoo, M. H., Kim, S. Y., Im, E. A., Song, J. E., Lee, J. C., & Jun, I. G. (2016). Horticultural activity program for improving emotional intelligence, prosocial behavior, and scientific investigation abilities and attitudes in kindergarteners. *HortTechnology*, *26*(6), 754-761. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH03489-16
11. ↑ Kim, K. H., & Park, S. A. (2018). Horticultural therapy program for middle-aged women’s depression, anxiety, and self-identify. *Complementary Therapies in Medicine*, *39*, 154-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2018.06.008
**Further Readings:**

1. Timler, K., Brown, H., & Varcoe, C. (2019). Growing connection beyond prison walls: How a prison garden fosters rehabilitation and healing for incarcerated men. *Journal of Offender Rehabilitation*, *58*(5), 444–463. https://doi-org.williamjames.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/10509674.2019.1615598
2. Harris, H. (2017). The social dimensions of therapeutic horticulture. *Health & Social Care in the Community*, *25*(4), 1328–1336. https://doi-org.williamjames.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/hsc.12433
3. Machado, M. M., & Swank, J. M. (2019). Therapeutic gardening: A counseling approach for bereavement from suicide. *Death Studies*, *43*(10), 629–633. https://doi-org.williamjames.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/07481187.2018.1509908