Gardening For Therapy Tips And Tricks For Relaxation Through Gardening

Table of Contents Gardening for Therapy Table of Contents Introduction Gardening for Beginners Gardening Tools Mapping out a Plot Choosing the Right Container Choice of Plants Cacti Best Soil for Cactus Trailing Plants Bonsai Hanging Baskets Making a Retreat – Zen – Garden Water features Different type of water features – Lily pool Informal Pond Formal Pond Garden Retreat Your Garden Sitting Area Mini Tray Gardens Winter Activities Natural Manures Traditional Quick Composting Formula Green Manure Caring for Your Plants – Tips Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction It does not matter about the size of your garden, as long as it is there to give you endless hours of pleasure, you are going to find this a haven in which you can de-stress yourself and relax at the end of a hard day’s work. Doctors have begun asking their heart patients to take up gardening as a relaxing therapy, and this book is going to tell you all about how to take full benefit of the gentle exercise for the body, as well as a relaxing and soothing therapy for your mind. According to studies, it has been proved that middle-aged men with high risk of coronary diseases and stress-related diseases are expected to live longer if they take some sort of regular to moderate exercise, especially in the open air, and in a garden. These outdoor activities include gardening, fishing, walking, or doing any sort of activity which does not exert them much in the open air. Gardening has long been known to be an excellent stress buster. Down the ages, anybody who got up in the morning with a bit of a black monkey on his shoulder was immediately turned out doors, with a pick or a shovel and told to dig in the ground. This physical exercise in itself was enough to make his mind free of stress and tension. Also, when people were disturbed, they went out for long walks, so that they could grow calm in heart, body, soul and spirit. When we were young, we were encouraged to dig our hands deep in mother earth, feeling the rich soil against our fingers. Apart from that, the happiness in seeing our planted seedlings take root, and then bear fruit was one of the most positive of joys, a child could achieve.

Did you know that plants and plant products can be used to improve people’s cognitive, physical, psychological, and social functioning? Well, they can, and Horticulture as Therapy is the book to show you how! If you are already familiar with the healing potential of horticultural therapy, or even practice horticultural therapy, this book will help you enrich your knowledge and skills and revitalize your practice. You will learn how horticultural therapy can be used with different populations in a variety of settings, what resources are available, effective treatment strategies, and the concepts behind horticultural treatment. The first comprehensive text on the practice of horticulture as therapy, this one-of-a-kind book will enable the profession to educate future horticultural therapists with fundamental knowledge and skills as they embark on careers as practitioners, researchers, and educators. You come to understand the relationship between people and plants more deeply as you learn about: vocational, social, and therapeutic programs in horticulture special populations including children, older adults, those who exhibit criminal behavior, and those with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health disorders, or traumatic brain injury use of horticultural therapy in botanical gardening and community settings adaptive gardening techniques applied research documentation and assessment in horticultural practice Horticulture as Therapy establishes, integrates, and communicates a foundation of knowledge for horticultural therapists, other therapists, horticulturists, students, research scientists, gardeners, and others interested in this special and unique kind of therapy. By reading Horticulture as Therapy, you will see how you can make a difference in the health and well-being of so many people, today and tomorrow.

A practical guide to using Horticulture as a therapeutic tool.

Gardening, like mindfulness, is a way of finding a sense of calm in an otherwise chaotic world, a simpler existence, even if it is only for a few minutes. Both forge a connection to the world around us, to nature and wildlife, which can bring pleasure and peace. In this beautifully illustrated guide to gardening for mindfulness, horticulturalist and mindfulness practitioner Holly Farrell provides a blueprint for a more contemplative way to garden, including projects, meditations and inspiration. Projects for the mindful gardener, including growing something from seed, planting a tree and creating a mandala, put the theory of mindfulness into practice, while plant lists and design ideas aim to enhance mindfulness in the garden through the senses. Beautifully packaged and easy to follow, this is the perfect book for keen gardeners, devotees of mindfulness, or simply those looking for calm in a busy and hectic world.

Bring a Sensory Garden to life in a structured therapeutic horticulture program! Intergenerational gardening programs bring the generations together. This book presents a tested, hands-on, easy-to-use activity plan that benefits the development of relationships between adults over 70 and school-age children. It shows how to limit frustration for both groups, how to plan activities that are functional and non-contrived, and how to assure that the interaction between elders and children is rewarding and pleasant for both. The activities rely on inexpensive, readily available tools and resources available throughout the growing season. While other books have discussed designing a Sensory Garden for people with disabilities, Generations Gardening Together applies the Sensory Garden design to a specific population, with a focus on the human senses that are stimulated by the garden. This unique sourcebook shows you, step-by-step, how a Sensory Garden can come alive in a structured therapeutic horticulture program. Generations Gardening Together shows how to create a Sensory Garden that will stimulate young and old gardeners alike. It outlines a six-week program curriculum that has been used and developed over ten years to use gardening as a program to bring generations together. You’ll learn therapeutic techniques that benefit elders by promoting self-esteem, creating feelings of pride, competence, and satisfaction—both from creating a garden and through passing on their knowledge and wisdom to the younger generation, inspiring them to use both their long-term and short-term memory skills, increasing physical stimulation, and providing the comfort of familiar plants and their aromas, which can trigger memories of people, places, and vocations. The activities in the book also benefit children through the establishment of a safe environment where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can come together—an ideal social situation in which youth can seek the wisdom of elders. Children learn important lessons about accountability, nurturing, and responsibility, for working in a garden teaches youth about life, death, hope, patience, and beauty. Each activity session described in Generations Gardening Together includes the following information: title—describes the content of the program general statement of purpose—identifies the intent of the program goal(s)—outlines the expected outcome(s) of the activity program procedures—provides a detailed description of each step and the order of the program’s activities evaluation—includes what and how therapeutic program goals are to be measured and recorded materials and equipment—identifies all the necessary equipment and supplies needed to facilitate the program activity This important resource shows how to provide appropriate (separate) orientation to seniors and children, what to emphasize and what to avoid in creating a program in your community, how to create garden themes that reflect the interests of the participants (ethnic foods, bird and butterfly gardens, planting to attract wildlife, etc.), how to decide what activities are appropriate for the developmental level of the participants, and much more. Generations Gardening Together is an essential resource for therapeutic recreation specialists, occupational therapists, therapeutic horticulture professionals, activity coordinators, master gardeners, and anyone working in an environment where elders and children come together.

Winner of the 2016 IPPY Award Gold Medal for Home & Garden 40 down-to-earth ideas for inspired garden crafts, including containers, handmade gifts, outdoor lighting, holiday decorations, and more. Blending the pleasures of gardening with the joys of crafting, Garden Made showcases over forty projects to adorn your garden, beautify your home, or give as gifts. Following the natural cycle of the garden in all its seasons—yes, even winter!—these garden-inspired projects, made by hand and finished with finesse, are the perfect way to express your love of the garden in fresh ways. With full step-by-step instructions, as well as gardening tips and advice, Garden Made will inspire seasoned and novice gardeners, and everyone in between.

Growing Consciousness explores the links between spirituality and the garden with a focus on Ayurvedic techniques and meditation. Through simple daily meditation practices coupled with gardening, you can marry spiritual growth and plant-based consumption to cultivate a more gratifying existence. This book forges an accessible path to self-discovery and truth; one that can apply to a small herb garden on the windowsill just as well as it would to a Buddhist Zen garden. Growing Consciousness will outline simple practices and explorations into the spiritual qualities of gardening and how one can marry spiritual growth and plant-based consumption to cultivate a more conscious and satisfying existence.