Horticultural therapy is a treatment approach that has been prescribed for many different conditions. The basic idea is generally to put people to work in a garden of some kind, showing them how to care for the plants and do various jobs associated with growing things. According to advocates, this can potentially help a person learn many important life skills, improve his disposition, and make him physically healthier. Horticultural therapy has been implemented in many different situations, including various facilities like prisons and nursing homes.
It is potentially possible to use horticultural therapy to teach a person about things like follow-through in life. For example, when a person goes through the entire process of planting a seed, watering a plant and providing daily care, he may be able to see how the application of effort eventually leads to tangible results. Many people also find the process soothing on a mental level, and they might find that it reduces their overall stress.
Horticultural therapy is also a form of gentle exercise. The whole process is often physically invigorating without being especially taxing, and this makes it potentially useful for people overcoming some kind of debilitating injury. It can also be used as a form of physical therapy for people with disorders like arthritis that can limit mobility.
Degrees in horticultural therapy have existed since the early 1950s. People who train in horticultural therapy will generally study both horticulture and some aspects of psychology. The therapy has been widely used in many different contexts, but it is especially popular in a few specific fields. Some of the more popular implementations are in various correctional facilities, including both juvenile and adult facilities. Sometimes it can be very beneficial for people with different behavioral disorders, and there are often many people with these problems in correctional facilities. It is also used very often in facilities for the elderly and various places where people rehabilitate from injuries or medical procedures.
The basic idea of using gardens to treat people who are mentally ill originated in the 1700s. In a more general sense, the concept of spending time in nature as a form of stress reduction is an ancient concept in many cultures. People have been using gardens as places of rest for a very long time, and in some situations, that can even be the primary purpose of a garden. When gardens are built primarily for stress reduction, the overall appearance of beauty and tranquility may be the most important concern of the designers.