By Geneie Everett
The National Garden Club has changed the name of its Garden Therapy program; the Garden Club Federation of Maine has done the same. Gardeners are not therapists, but what we do is very therapeutic. Our new name is Therapeutic Gardening. The focus will be on gardening and how we can use our skills in a variety of therapeutic ways in a wide range of garden settings including public and private gardens.
Whether working in your own garden or volunteering to assist someone else, decades of research show gardening is good for the mind, body and soul. But what about the tangible gardens themselves, those physical settings where sun and soil meet, where we practice our craft, and put our skills and knowledge to use? How does the design of the actual gardens contribute to the beneficial value of what we tend?
A "Therapeutic Garden" is a designated garden space specifically designed to improve mental, physical and spiritual well-being of the user. Therapeutic gardens are also referred to as ‘Healing Gardens’ and are often associated with healthcare and other institutional settings. The renewed GCFM Therapeutic Gardening Program will explore several types of Therapeutic Gardens and the activities generally associated with specific gardens.
There are two general types of "Therapeutic Gardens": Restorative and Enabling.
Restorative Gardens
Restorative Gardens provide therapeutic benefits by simply walking or sitting within the space. The design of restorative gardens focus on the psychological and social needs of the users. Restorative Gardensare often primarily spaces used for refuge, reflection and meditation.
Enabling Gardens
The focus of an Enabling Garden is to assist and improve the physical functions of the users by using gardening as a healing interaction. Enabling Gardens directly address users’ limited mobility/agility and reduced physical strength. The design of Enabling Gardens removes physical barriers and addresses accessibility needs of users including: wheel chairs, walkers, special ergonomic tools and other adaptive devices.
Over the next several months, a series of articles will be included in the newsletters and information will be posted on the GCFM website about each type of the gardens above. The information will include descriptions of the garden types, including the central focus of each type, special design criteria and appropriate therapeutic gardening activities for each of the specialty therapeutic gardens. In addition, the Therapeutic Gardening Committee is developing Activity Sheets specific to Restorative and Enabling Gardening that can be adapted by interested clubs.
Maine Grows October https://publuu.com/flip-book/175962/602338
Please contact Geneie if you would like to learn more about Therapeutic Gardening: dr.geneie@gmail.com
Author: Geneie Everett, PhD, RN is a member of the Garden club of Wiscasset and the GCFM Therapeutic Gardening Committee.
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