The inherent healing qualities of nature have been recognized since the ancient Roman, Egyptian and Greek civilizations. Here in the U.S., during the 19th century, prominent physician Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and recognized as the “Father of American Psychiatry,” was the first to document the positive effects of gardening regarding mental health.
During the 1940’s and 1950’s, returning war veterans participating in horticultural therapy not only benefitted psychologically, but also from improved muscular strength, coordination, endurance and balance, as well as learning new skills or regaining lost skills due to injuries.
Today, research has shown that interacting with nature – whether it’s a simple hike in the woods or tending to a garden – helps lower blood pressure and heart rate, improves immunity, reduces stress, improves mood and sleep, and even increases creativity.
As such, the interest and application of therapeutic gardens continues to grow. So much so, that the American Society of Landscape Architects includes a network of professionals specializing in therapeutic garden design.
How Nature Helps Us Heal
Biologist Edwin O. Wilson noted in his book, Biophilia, that humans have an “innate emotional affiliation with other living organisms.” We feel calm and rejuvenated in nature, because we are hardwired to need nature, to be connected to the greater natural world.
Along with the psychological and cardiovascular benefits of therapeutic gardening come benefits on a cellular level. Soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, can stimulate brain cells to produce more of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which impacts mood regulation and a sense of well-being. This same soil bacteria contains lipids that can bind to receptors in our immune cells and prevent inflammation.
Simply being outside helps our vision by encouraging focusing on things at a distance instead of our usual close-up screen/phone viewing. Sunlight provides us with Vitamin D and there are studies showing bright sunlight can trigger the release of dopamine in the eyes, believed to play a role in regulating eye growth in children and potentially preventing nearsightedness in them.
What Makes a Garden “Therapeutic”?
While it’s clear that any element of nature can be regarded as “therapeutic,” The American Horticultural Therapy Association specifies a therapeutic garden as a “plant-dominated environment purposefully designed to facilitate interaction with the healing elements of nature. Interactions can be passive or active depending on the garden design and users’ needs.” Accessibility, ease of use, and engagement are key elements and can include characteristics such as:
- Pathways that are level or gently sloped and wide for wheelchair and walker accessibility
- Raised planting beds and containers for people with limited mobility
- Seating areas for relaxation and enjoyment of the garden
- Clearly defined perimeters to guide attention to garden elements
- A clear focal point to create a sense of focus and place
- Water features like birdbaths, fountains, or ponds for sound and attracting pollinators and wildlife
- Plant groupings that are fragrant or texturally inviting for the visually impaired
Therapeutic Garden Elements to Include in Your Home Landscape
So how do you bring therapeutic elements into your own home garden or landscape? Start by planning a sensory-rich space that engages sight, sound, scent, touch and even flavor. Include features that encourage connection and interaction with nature. Here are some ideas:
- Create garden spaces that are easy to access and care for. Keep garden beds no larger than 3’ wide for easy reach. Also consider including raised beds and containers both for variety and ease of access.
- Have garden perimeters within your landscape to create focal points and/or define planting areas such as shade gardens, scent gardens, touch gardens, night gardens and herb gardens for different sensory experiences.
- Include pathways throughout your yard that invite you to immerse yourself into nature. They can be as simple as a path of grass or crushed stone, a cleared dirt walkway or a more structured footpath of brick, concrete or decorative steppingstones.
- Consider placing seating so you can sit and enjoy your outdoor space. This can be a garden bench beneath a tree, or a chair by a water feature or even incorporate large rocks you can use as natural seating in your landscape design.
- Include one or more water features such as birdbaths, fountains, pools or ponds in your design, to add sound and to attract pollinators and wildlife.
- Scent is a wonderful garden element not to be overlooked. Pine trees, lilacs, roses, lavender, gardenia, basil and mint are just some fragrant ideas to consider.
- Engage your sense of taste by growing fruit, vegetables or even a simple herb garden. The taste of a sun-ripened tomato or fresh mint in your iced tea are pleasures not to be missed.
- Texture is another sensory element to include in your therapeutic garden. Fuzzy-leafed Lamb’s Ear, delicate ferns, billowy ornamental grasses and fleshy succulents like aloe and sedum are some textural plants to consider.
- Expand your time and experience in nature with a night garden. Flowering plants like Moonflower, Mock Orange, Night Blooming Jasmine, Gardenia and Night Phlox bloom in the evening, capturing the moonlight.
- Use eco-friendly gardening practices like choosing native plants, creating pollinator and wildlife friendly spaces, optimizing soil health with compost, conserving water with mulch, organic pest control methods and other environmentally sustainable efforts.
