Did You Know That Plants is a Good Therapy

That is so true! My favorite thing to do is groom my houseplants; repotting them, cleaning them, and pruning off any dead leaves. It’s a soothing, rewarding hobby (obsession?) for me. What can plants do for us, other than providing food, shade, oxygen, and clothing? Plants can improve moods, make one more productive, and relax us. Does this all sound a little too good to be true? 

 

 

I’m not making this up. People go to college to get degrees in Horticultural Therapy. Michigan State University gave the first undergraduate degree in Horticulture Therapy in 1955. Where did this concept come from? In the late 1950s, Alice Burlingame established horticultural therapy programs with volunteers from garden clubs and taught classes at the Pontiac State Hospital for their employees. The American Horticultural Therapy Association defines horticulture therapy as, “a process utilizing plants and horticultural activities to improve the social, educational, psychological, and physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind, and spirit.”

 

How many plants and flowers have you taken to people in the hospital? It’s the normal practice, but why? If you’ve ever been in the hospital, you know that when visitors arrive with plants or flowers, it brightens your day. Many hospitals now have beautiful atriums filled with plants where patients and their families can go to relax, recuperate, and meditate. - Plants Is Good Therapy