What is Horticultural Therapy? - Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers SEBS (2024)

FAQs

What is Horticultural Therapy? - Department of Plant Biology at Rutgers SEBS? ›

Horticultural therapy is described as a therapeutic treatment modality that uses plants and plant-based activity to achieve specific goals within an established treatment, rehabilitation, or vocational plan.

Horticultural Therapy (HT) is an ancient practice, but a rather new profession. HT has been defined as the use of plants and plant-based activity for the purpose of human healing and rehabilitation." The “roots” of horticultural therapy were established in the early 19th century by Dr.

Horticulture is the art and science of the development, sustainable production, marketing, and use of high-value, intensively cultivated food and ornamental plants. The word is derived from the Latin words hortus (garden plant) and cultura (tilling the soil).

Plant therapy – or horticulture therapy – is a treatment where patients interact with plants to reduce their anxiety and feel calmer. This effect could be observed when someone contrasts the feelings they have during a bright and sunny day to when it is cold and gloomy outside.

Botany is the scientific study of plants. Horticulture is the study and practice of cultivating plants. This science is a subset of biology. This science and practice are a subset of agriculture.

Horticulture therapy can be used to learn social, vocational, and life skills; teach math, science, art, etc.; improve or regain physical abilities; work off excess energy; communicate emotions; share stories and knowledge; provide privacy and escape; and make connections.

The horticulture industry can be divided into three areas: ornamental horticulture, olericulture, and pomology.

Vegetables, fruits, flowers, ornamentals, and lawn grasses are examples of horticultural crops and are typically produced on a smaller scale with more intensive management than agronomic crops. Some horticultural crops are grown for aesthetic enjoyment and recreation.

Horticulture is defined as that branch of agriculture concerned with growing plants that are used by people for food, for medicinal purposes, and for aesthetic gratification.

Horticulture is the science and art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants. It also includes plant conservation, landscape restoration, soil management, landscape and garden design, construction, and maintenance. Horticulture is a practice of growing fruits and vegetables.

Why is Plant Therapy important? ›

Tending to plants provides an escape from everyday pressures as well as creating a deep rooted connection with nature. The mindful nature of tending to plants has also been compared to meditation as by focusing solely on the present moment, your brain can be distracted from anxious thoughts.

Horticultural therapy helps improve memory, cognitive abilities, task initiation, language skills, and socialization. In physical rehabilitation, horticultural therapy can help strengthen muscles and improve coordination, balance, and endurance.

: the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants. horticultural.

"A plantsman is one who loves plants for their own sake and knows how to cherish them. This… concept… may include a botanist: it certainly includes a host of admirable amateurs who may not know what a chromosome looks like or what taxonomy means, but they know the growing plant, wild or cultivated, first-hand.

Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field.

Horticultural practices refer to the various techniques and methods used in the cultivation, management, and maintenance of plants for ornamental, medicinal, and food purposes.

Horticulturists use their expertise in plant cultivation to improve the quality or yield of healthy flowers, trees, shrubs, fruit plants, vegetable plants, ivies, grasses, and turf. If you love plants, horticulture is a field with many opportunities to work for yourself or as part of a team.

It's been shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It's very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food. Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress.

Synonyms. Horticulture therapy; Nature-assisted therapy; Social and therapeutic gardening; Therapeutic horticulture.