Welcome to
The GrowTH Network

Your professional therapeutic horticulture resource and support platform 

The GrowTH (Grow Therapeutic Horticulture) Network is a professional resource and support platform for horticultural therapists, therapeutic horticulture practitioners and allied health professionals with training in the field.

What's Included in The GrowTH Network

Connection Opportunities

You have a personal profile and can connect with other members of the network, as well as engage in chat forums. The network is international with 200+ members on every continent.

Activity Database

A robust database with over 125 step-by-step activities, and four new activities added per month. The database is sortable in multiple ways such as domain of wellness, cognition level, material requirements (budget) and ability to deliver virtually.

Resource Library

This extensive library includes resources such as intake forms, evaluation forms, guest speaker event recordings, sample budgets, visual cue templates and more.

20% Discount on Courses*

Enjoy a 20% discount on Root in Nature courses. *excluding the Advancing Skills in Therapeutic Horticulture certification course

Events

Bi-monthly guest speakers on relevant HT/ TH professional development topics. All events are free to GrowTH Network members. Check out the upcoming guest speaker list below!

Peer Support Calls

Feel isolated in this field? Join our one-hour virtual drop-in calls with a registered horticultural therapist for connection, support and Q & A.

Join our Founder & CEO Alexis for a live 20 minute Information Session on the GrowTH Network. One attendee will win 50% off a one-year membership! Our next session is on: October 16 @ 12:30 p.m. ET

If you’d like to watch a recorded information session now, click the link below.

Activity Database

Your membership includes a database of more than 125 therapeutic horticulture activities that is sortable in the following ways:

  • Session Component: Opening Activity, Activity, Closing Activity
  • Activity Type: Horticulture, Botanical Arts & Crafts, Mindfulness/Meditation, Sensory, Games/Trivia, Culinary, Soilless
  • Material Requirements: Cost vs. No/Low cost
  • Domains of Wellness Affected: Physical, Cognitive, Emotional, Social, Spiritual & Creative
  • Season
  • Indoor / Outdoor
  • Physical Exertion Level Required
  • Population / Cognitive Ability 
  • Ability to Deliver Virtually

We love hearing from you!

GrowTH Network

Annual Membership

$108

/yr

save 10% annually

Registration coming soon

What's Included

Online profile and network

A growing activity database

Resource library

20% discount on all courses

Free events

One-hour group call (monthly)

GrowTH Network

Monthly Membership

$10

/mo

Registration coming soon

What's Included

Online profile and network

A growing activity database

Resource library

20% discount on all courses

Free events

One-hour group call (monthly)

GrowTH Network

Monthly Membership

$10

/mo

Registration coming soon

What's Included

Online profile and network

A growing activity database

Resource library

20% discount on all courses

Free events

One-hour group call (monthly)

INCLUDES 7-DAY FREE TRIAL

Annual Membership
$120
$ 108 per year
  • 7-Day Free Trial
  • Personal Profile & Connections
  • Sortable Activity Database
  • Resource Library
  • 20% Discount on Courses*
  • Guest Speaker Events
  • Monthly Peer Support Calls
SAVE 10%

INCLUDES 7-DAY FREE TRIAL

Monthly Membership
$ 10 per month
  • 7-Day Free Trial
  • Personal Profile & Connections
  • Sortable Activity Database
  • Resource Library
  • Guest Speaker Events
  • Monthly Peer Support Calls

StrongerU customers save $75 on a GrowTH Network & Intro Course bundle! Ask for details.

For a sneak-peak of the activities in our Activity Database, download this ‘Seed Starting Activity Starter Pack’ containing five complimentary seed starting activities. 

For a demo of the sorting capability of the database, check out the video tour video below. 

The GrowTH Network is one of the most exciting things to expand the growth of horticulture as a therapeutic tool that I have seen in recent years. Professionals from many fields working together with volunteers will bring this valuable tool to many more people.

— Dr. Paula Diane Relf

Professor Emeritus
Virginia Tech University

Tour of the Resource Library

Tour of the Activity Database

Upcoming Events for Members

October 10, 2024 @ 7:00 pm
- 8:00 pm EDT

Top 10 Therapeutic Horticulture Activity Ideas

This session offers a comprehensive exploration of practical therapeutic horticulture (TH) activities for your practice. Attendees will delve into the five domains of wellness influenced by TH and discover our top 10 step-by-step activity plans from the Root in Nature Activity Database. We will showcase a diverse range of activities suited to various domains, budgets, seasons, and program streams. The session also includes a demonstration of the sortable activities database, followed by an open discussion and Q&A.

November 7, 2024 @ 12:30 pm
- 1:30 pm EST

November Peer Support Call with Katie McGillivray, HTR

GrowTH Network members can participate in monthly drop-in Q&A and check-in calls with a registered horticultural therapist. These calls provide a supportive environment where practitioners can seek guidance, share experiences, and engage in ongoing professional development.

Katie (she/her) is a Registered Horticultural Therapist (HTR) in British Columbia, Canada. A strong advocate of asset-based community development and reflective practice, Katie has been supporting therapeutic horticulture projects and programs for a wide variety of populations since 2014.

January 23, 2025 @ 7:00 pm
- 8:00 pm EST

Nurturing the Gardener: Prioritizing Health, Safety & Injury Prevention in the Garden with Nancy McDonald

Prioritizing the health and safety of the gardener and being knowledgeable of ways to prevent injury leads to enjoyment of the physical, mental, and cognitive benefits of gardening. Nancy provides valuable information on ways to prevent injury and disease when working hands-on in the garden. She will also present ideas for participants with health challenges to engage safely in gardening while still experiencing its therapeutic benefits.

Nancy grew up on a farm on Prince Edward Island and learned the practical aspects of gardening from her parents. Her love of flowers came from spending time in her grandmother’s beautiful mixed garden. After 42 years of a very fulfilling nursing career, Nancy’s thoughts turned to retirement and volunteer opportunities. She has been a member of the Master Gardeners of Ottawa Carleton for 13 years. Nancy is also a member of the Friends of the Farm and the Ottawa Horticultural Society. Nancy enjoys her small suburban garden and the birds, bees and butterflies that visit. She also enjoys making flavourful recipes in her kitchen using herbs and edible flowers from her garden.

FAQs

The network is a space for horticultural therapists, therapeutic horticulture practitioners, students of therapeutic horticulture and allied professionals trained in therapeutic horticulture.

Yes! We’re here to support you, and that means supporting your business. If you have events or other offerings that others could take part in, please feel free to share them on the GrowTH Network timeline or in forum posts. 

Yes! The intention of this network is to provide you with practical tools that you can put to use in your own practice without crediting of any kind. However, it should be noted that the information contained in the resource library is provided for general information purposes only. Please review the disclaimer in the library prior to using any of its contents.

Yes – you can ‘connect’ with members in the directory. If they accept your connection, you can send private messages to each other. We want to facilitate connections between people and provide a space to openly share ideas, resources, experiences and successes.

Absolutely! There is a form set up on the relevant pages of the community to collect submissions from members. Here is the Activity Idea Submission Form and resources can be emailed to courses@rootinnature.ca. The more members who engage and share, the more robust the community will become over time. Members are part of helping the network grow!

The GrowTH Network and sortable Activity Database require significant infrastructure and ongoing management. Registered horticultural therapists create, review and vet activities and resources. They also manage monthly check-in calls and other events. We’ve worked hard to keep the cost affordable while ensuring that the value provided far exceeds the price.

We were hoping to have a Canadian price and an US price. However, our software (MemberPress) is only able to process one currency. Since this is an international community, and the US dollar is widely recognized worldwide, we chose that currency and set the price at the US dollar equivalent of our intended Canadian price. 

Join us in community!

View our membership plans and special pricing for volunteers and students.
Best Ottawa Business (BOBS) Award Winner
Root in Nature was recognized for Best Performance in Social Entrepreneurship by the Ottawa Board of Trade and the Ottawa Business Journal in 2022.
Coralus Venture

Root in Nature is grateful to be selected as one of the Ventures working on the World’s To-Do List by Coralus Activators! We will be receiving support from radically generous Activators, including funding, connections and relationships to grow our impact. 

Intro to Therapeutic Horticulture Course