Horticultural therapy is a medical model that uses living plants, their products, and the natural environment to provide evaluation therapy and rehabilitation. The therapy is advised for individuals with behavioral, emotional, physical, or educational issues. An emerging interest in establishing therapeutic gardens is witnessed in countries like USA, Canada, Europe and also in the Pacific region including countries like Japan, New Zealand and Australia the therapeutic gardens are created in such a way that they hold a variety of essential solutions for medical treatment, recovery, and other therapeutic settings.
The importance of horticultural therapy is improving a person's physical and emotional health. As it encompasses a wide range of activities that can be utilised for both therapeutic and recreational objectives, horticultural therapy is also known as 'magical therapy'. The concept of horticulture therapy dates back to ancient Egypt, Hinduism, and other cultures. The American Horticultural Therapy Association is the professional society in the United States that has established educational and training standards for those wishing to practice horticultural therapy. Several studies have shown that plant-based activities have positive mental and physiological healing benefits. While horticultural therapy has not yet met the standard for evidence-based practice, it is flexible and adaptable enough to be integrated into existing scientific evidence-based therapy practices in mental healthcare. Plants and gardening activities are safe and non-threatening, making their use in therapeutic treatments appealing to people all over the world.
Dedhia, Labdhi & Priya, Maya & Jha, Anjali Kumari & Nishant,. (2024). Role of Horticulture Therapy in Floriculture.