Over the last year-and-a-half, homes have become offices, dinner tables have become restaurants and gardens have become oases.

As more people have been given the opportunity to tend to their yards or appreciate a walk, the therapeutic benefits derived from nature are becoming more and more evident. Unbeknownst to many, while gardening itself can have a positive impact on one’s mental health, there is an entire discipline dedicated to studying and practicing horticulture as a therapeutic model.

“[Nature] is all around us. You can walk on it, you can eat it, you can breathe it — it’s creativity that’s also a job,” explains horticulture therapist master Mitchell Hewson. “So, we can use it for many things.”

Of these, a rising field of interest is horticulture therapy.

“We talk about horticultural therapy and then we talk about therapeutic horticulture, because they are actually a little bit different,” says Cheney Creamer, chair of the Canadian Horticulture Therapy Association and president of One Green Square Wellness Consulting.

“Horticultural therapy is a true therapy session held by a trained professional therapist, who is going to use nature and the garden as the primary teacher and tool.”

It uses predetermined objectives to facilitate growth and mindfulness. In contrast, therapeutic horticulture refers to the natural benefits driven from surrounding yourself with nature.
 

By allowing people to speak to and through the natural object, they are able to uncover things about themselves and others a lot easier than if they were simply engaging in self introspection.

As Creamer explains, “therapeutic horticulture is more like... ‘we're gonna put our hands in some compost and some soil, and we're gonna see what emerges.’ And we might not have any specific goals. It’s the idea that we’re engaging in a horticulture activity and therapeutic value is going to take place, but it’s not specifically designed for therapy.”

A field yet to be popularized, many people stumble upon the craft when in search of bridging their love for therapy together with horticulture. Hewson recognized the therapeutic benefits of nature at a young age when he worked at a nursery in his teenage years and spent time at his grandparents farm.

“Looking under the canopy of forests, there was something magical there, the sound of wind… how in summer things would change and we’d see the different parallels of the next season,” describes Hewson. “I knew that these things were spiritual for the soul.”

Plants have the ability to be projections of our often overcrowded and bustling lives. As such, horticulture therapy takes what already exists and uses it to target what might be lacking in our selves.

“No matter what [a person's] diagnosis is, you can use a plant as an analogy,” explains Hewson. “The beginning stage analogy of life is planting the seed — something that produces roots, new growth and energy. And I use that analogy or symbiotic relationship with a client to see how they can also grow, develop healing and move to a situation where there is hope and a quality and dignity of life.”

Horticulture therapy allows people to see what are often complicated aspects of life, with a gentler and simpler outlook that can help to alleviate pressure, stress and anxiety. It pushes individuals to practice mindfulness — rather than ruminating on thoughts, we are given the opportunity to ground ourselves in our surroundings.

“[The practice] is connected to slowing down, being aware, being mindful and being spiritual… engaging all five senses: taste, touch, smell, vision and hearing. Plants produce all of those things,” says Hewson.

As an alternative to talk therapy, Creamer explains how engaging with nature to drive introspection can foster an openness that may be difficult in a traditional therapeutic setting.

“Let’s say someone is having a problem with leadership. We can sit in a boardroom and talk about it — their strengths, weaknesses and we can learn some basics from that,” explains Creamer. “What I find is, if I have the same conversation outside and I say, ‘okay, find any plant you're drawn to. What are some of its strengths right now?’ and you might say ‘well, it looks strong, it has a lot of water.’ I’d ask you how you could relate to that and you might ask yourself ‘well, what do I need to become stronger?’”

By allowing people to speak to and through the natural object, they are able to uncover things about themselves and others a lot easier than if they were simply engaging in self introspection.

“It allows people to go through some very difficult processes, without having to do that difficult work of self exploration. It allows them to just open up and see things in a slightly disconnected way. And yet, because we are nature — we inherently know that we are the same,” says Creamer.
 

All gardens are therapeutic, but the magic that can be driven from guiding a relationship between a person and nature is much more than a release of cathartic energy. It’s knowing yourself better and discovering new things.

Moving forward, Creamer adamantly believes horticulture therapy should be introduced in every health facility possible. What many people may misconceive to be “playing with plants” holds scientifically-backed therapeutic value that may unlock a treatment plan for many individuals.

Sunshine Garden, established in 2002, at the Canadian Mental Health Association is one of the many examples of how horticulture therapy can be implemented into healthcare and how effective it’s impact can be.

"There is a lot of value with [gardening] and with mental health and well being… especially with the growing research on time spent outdoors and how doing something meaningful is therapeutic," says Atullya Singh, therapy garden coordinator and community garden liaison for Foodshare. "Being in a place like [the garden] — it's a perfect portal for people… there's people coming into the garden to unload their burdens from their daily life. And it's a place where you can just be yourself and still feel as if you're part of something bigger."

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that they don’t realize this is genuine therapy,” mentions Creamer. “All gardens are therapeutic, but the magic that can be driven from guiding a relationship between a person and nature is much more than a release of cathartic energy. It’s knowing yourself better and discovering new things.”

So, the next time you’re outside — smell a rose and ask yourself, “What does this do for me?” Eat a fresh strawberry or go outside and listen to the wind or the waves. There are so many things that nature can do and even more connections we are all capable of building.

“There’s just a plethora of different things that are a gateway to horticulture therapy, to the brain and to wellness,” says Hewson. “So, on my computer when I look out, it faces the lake. I see the birds, the soft breeze on trees and the waves glistening. It’s just magical. All you have to do is open up, be aware and let it happen with genuine, true guidance.”

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