What is Therapeutic Horticulture? Who is Therapeutic Horticulture for? They’re the two main questions I’ve been asked when speaking to people about my professional focus over 2023.
In a nutshell, Therapeutic Horticulture (or TH) is using horticultural practices to achieve therapeutic outcomes, and TH is for everyone.
TH can be as simple as keeping houseplants on the windowsill, or as complex as having a vegetable garden, or volunteering in a community garden.
Over 2024 as my TH business, Gardening for Body and Mind, expands I’ll be sharing some of my TH activities.
A couple of benefits achieved through TH are a sense of achievement, and a feeling of being relaxed; there are studies that show this to be true. So in this post I will feature one of my personal favourite activities: flower arrangement (not specifically a horticultural practice, but it still involves the scents, colours, textures of natural elements which make up a large portion of what makes TH work) Seeing I’m on holiday, this is an appropriately calm task that will provide me with both those benefits.
I arranged these flowers on NYE and a few days later they need to be updated. Changing the water, re-cutting the stems, and replacing dead flowers will refresh it.
I used the Lily again, replaced some hydrangeas, and added some Salvia flowers (I’m not sure of the species name). I will also be using a glass frog at the base to hold the Lily up straighter.
The finished result goes back on the mantelpiece to be admired for a few more days. I could have cut the lily stem a bit shorter to make the arrangement more compact, but overall I am pleased with the result.
In this simple act of reconstructing a floral arrangement I’ve performed a TH activity, it is something that is possible for most people; the scents of the flowers are good for your soul.
Til next time!
The Flowerpot Pen 
Flowers in the house, is definately good for the soul. One of the reasons I love agapanthus, is the flowers look fabulous in a vase.
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