Blog by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan
I have been visiting therapeutic gardens in Southern California as a part of a Horticultural Therapy class. Dorn and Relf, in "The Profession and Practice of Horticultural Therapy,” write that the basic premise is “working with and around plants brings about positive psychological and physical changes that improve the quality of life for the individual.”
It is not hard to believe gardens are therapeutic, and in fact, there is quite a bit of research into why nature makes people feel better. The Biophilia hypothesis suggests that “humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.”
One of the gardens I visited was part of the Ranchos Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, a historic rehabilitation hospital in Downey, California. The Rancho Restorative Garden is a community garden for the hospital. The garden is designed to be accessible to participants of a wide range of abilities and promotes emotional, intellectual, and physical well-being. Clients there are said to be particularly fond of succulents, and volunteers propagate plants that are then used in rehabilitation therapy.
