People & Plants: Exploring Horticultural Therapy in the Hollyhock Garden

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” – Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Experience the raw beauty and power of the Hollyhock Garden like never before! 

Examine the principles and practices of horticultural therapy in this heart-opening, hands-on experience. While getting to know the plants, pathways, and hidden gems of Hollyhock, you will be guided through a wide variety of simple, yet profound, mindful, and meditative practices with nature as your teacher and resource.

This is an immersive therapeutic horticulture experience. It is not about learning how to grow a garden, but rather how to grow and deepen relationships with your environment to increase health and well-being for people and the planet. Let the Hollyhock Garden enliven your senses, stimulate your cognitive functions, and nourish your sense of compassion, purpose, belonging, and hope.

What is Horticultural Therapy?

“Horticultural Therapy (HT) is a formal practice that uses plants, horticultural activities, and the garden landscape to promote well-being for its participants. HT is goal oriented with defined outcomes and assessment procedures. HT sessions are administered by professionally trained horticultural therapists.” (www.chta.ca)

You can expect to: 

• Examine what Horticultural Therapy is and isn’t and distinguish it from other disciplines such as Forest Therapy or Ecotherapy.
• Experience daily therapeutic nature-based practices in and around the garden that are memorable, fun, and immediately effective at reducing the impacts of stress.
• Practice methods of reconnecting with nature, proven to build personal resilience and provide measurable benefits in 5 key domains of wellness (physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual).
• Explore a 4-step process for cultivating meaningful people-plant relationships, observing personal responses, and maximizing your therapeutic outcomes.
• Play, breathe, and stop to smell the roses, and the radishes, and a whole lot more!
• Create a customized nature-based wellness plan for integrating the learned practices into your personal &/or professional life when you get back home (no actual “garden” at home/work required!).

Schedule

A detailed schedule will be available 1-2 weeks in advance of the program. View sample schedule here.

Terms & Conditions

You may find our terms & conditions here.