The International People Plant Symposium (IPPS), held in Reading, UK from July 10th to 12th, 2024, brought together a diverse group of professionals and enthusiasts to explore the profound impact of horticulture on human health. Under the aegis of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and the International People Plant Council (IPPC), this year’s symposium focused on the theme: “Cultivation of human health through horticulture: from gardening lifestyle to professional intervention.”
The event featured keynote addresses by esteemed researchers and professionals, including Dr. Rachel Bragg, OBE, and Dr. Sue Stuart Smith, author of “The Well Gardened Mind.” Their insights, along with contributions from over 40 presenters, highlighted the diverse ways horticulture can support health and well-being. Alexis Ashworth, Katie McGillivray and Kristin Topping (of Sweetlife Flora) were delighted to attend and are pleased to share these collective reflections with you.
Table of Contents
Presenter: Ben Thomas, CEO of Thrive
Key Insights from Dr. Rachel Bragg
Dr. Rachel Bragg’s keynote address emphasized that nature is accessible to everyone in various contexts and that there are multiple outcomes from gardening and nature-based interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic was a tipping point, leading to increased involvement in horticulture and a greater recognition of its benefits. However, she pointed out that a lack of coordination in definitions and personal preferences can create challenges in the field.
Dr. Bragg also highlighted the importance of clarity around the services provided and the outcomes achieved. She encouraged practitioners to articulate why their approaches work and how they benefit their beneficiaries. This clarity can help communicate the model more effectively, ensuring that potential clients understand the unique value of horticultural therapy.
Reflective Questions:
- How do you explain therapeutic horticulture (TH) or horticultural therapy (HT) to your clients, funders/management, and other stakeholders?
- What language and titles do you use?
- How aware are you of the use of HT, TH, and “green care” around the world?
- What outcomes are your priority in your TH work?
- Have you identified the level of need you can accommodate in terms of the populations you work with?
Consider working with a client who has specific needs, such as veterans with PTSD in long-term care or autistic youth in a community setting. With your advanced training, you can implement specialized therapeutic horticulture techniques that directly address their unique needs and create, select and adapt activities accordingly. This certification equips you with the skills needed to create, document and adapt activities, sessions and programs to meet diverse needs of your participants.
Stories of Healing and Connection
Anna Baker Cresswell, founder of HighGround, shared a touching story about a veteran who experienced relief from his injuries for the first time while collecting eggs, illustrating the profound impact of nature-based activities on mental and physical well-being. Dr. Sue Stuart Smith, author of The Well Gardened Mind, expanded on this theme, discussing how the garden environment brings people back to the natural pace of life. She introduced the concept of “environmental melancholia,” highlighting the therapeutic power of nurturing plants to reduce physical and psychological pain.
Dr. Stuart Smith spoke about the dual creative energies of nature and humans in the garden, reminding us of the balance between our power and its limits. She emphasized that beauty in the garden is a form of nourishment and that losing oneself in play can be profoundly healing.
Dr. Stuart Smith also shared about The Serge Hill Garden Project, a recent collaboration between her and landscape architect and garden designer husband Tom Stuart Smith. The expansive community space that they have designed includes a plant library, nursery, allotment plots, orchard and ample opportunities for learning, creativity and connection with community and nature.
Reflective Questions:
- How do you promote and create space for play for yourself and clients in the garden?
- How do you celebrate big and small moments of client success? How do you share these stories with stakeholders?
- When do you feel most creative in your work?
- How do you respond when clients say that they find managing their garden overwhelming or stressful?
Katie McGillivray, Alexis Ashworth & Sarah Rodger
Addressing the Climate Emergency through Horticulture
Jay Rice’s presentation focused on the climate emergency, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human well-being and the earth’s health. He stressed that our bodies are deeply connected to the earth, and horticultural therapy can help bridge this connection. Rice highlighted three significant trends: the exponential growth of carbon effects, technological solutions, and the expansion of human consciousness. He invited attendees to consider that they are not separate from nature, encouraging us to be mindful when speaking about “a relationship with nature”, as we are a part of nature.
Rice also discussed the importance of language and the empowering effect of taking care of life. By helping individuals locate themselves in nature, horticultural therapy can instill hope and drive environmental stewardship.
Reflective Questions:
- What are you doing for nature through your work in TH and beyond?
- What emotions do you experience regarding the climate emergency?
- Do you know if your clients experience climate anxiety?
Therapeutic Programs and Initiatives
The Eden Project, spanning 150 acres, emphasized the principle of “Respect, Protect & Repair.” They presented their nature recovery programs aimed at enhancing mental health and social welfare through nature connections. Their programs cater to early years, young people, and adults, operating under the philosophy of “people first, garden second.” The Vounder Therapy Garden, a year-round initiative, serves as both a therapy and production garden, integrating social prescriptions and referrals to provide free access to clients through grants. You can see the Vounder Therapy Garden and program in action in this video.
Dr. Olivia Chapple from Horatio’s Garden highlighted the profound impact of gardening and access to nature for those with spinal cord injuries receiving care in the first six months post-injury. Wider pathways and supportive devices are part of their inclusive design, making nature accessible to all. She explained how the garden can serve as a unique space for patients to connect with their medical practitioners and loved ones in an outdoor environment. They have just begun construction on their eighth spinal cord center garden.
Andrea Lofthouse Quesada discussed scaling up a native plant gardening program in post-pandemic high schools, while Elizabeth Diehl focused on how horticultural therapy complements physical, mental, and medical interventions for veterans, Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers, and university students.
Ania Balducci from the University of Bologna shared insights on bringing gardening to children through the use of smartphones and apps to enable learning and socialization in community plots.
Sheri Dorn of the University of Georgia demonstrated the power of utilizing online tools to enhance the accessibility of TH. Project GROW, an entirely virtual eight-week program developed in collaboration with local master gardeners, is designed to teach veterans how to grow their own food. The pilot program was a success, employing a variety of methods such as PowerPoint presentations, polls, hands-on demonstrations, discussion questions, and opening check-in rounds. Additionally, the program effectively addressed a common challenge in virtual TH by delivering materials to participants in advance.
A highlight for our team was visiting the Thrive Reading garden where we were generously welcomed and toured around by the incredible team at Thrive. With over 40 years of experience supporting community members with diverse needs through social and therapeutic horticulture (STH), Thrive offers a remarkable three-acre space. This includes indoor and outdoor gathering areas, a greenhouse, an orchard, various adapted raised beds, themed sensory garden spaces, sit spots for safety and solace, and an extensive allotment area. Here, gardeners are provided plots they can paint any colour they wish, and grow, tend, and harvest plants of their choice.
We fully immersed ourselves in the garden: rattling nigella seed pods, sniffing curry plant and lemon verbena, feeling the soft thyme on the iconic “thyme to sit” bench. We savoured all of the beauty around us, from insect hotels buzzing with life and garden tools covered in colourful knitting, to the carefully designed hanging baskets prepared by clients for sale and the round bench wrapped around a beautiful old tree.
Reflective Questions:
- How well do you think you are balancing people (your clients) over production in the garden?
- How do you lean into technology in your TH work? If you are not offering opportunities for virtual TH, why not?
- TH professionals come from unique backgrounds and fields of study, which contributes to a community of professionals where everyone can have space to put their roots down. What area in TH do you want to be your focus?
Katie McGillivray & Kristin Topping
Legacy and Future Directions
The event celebrated the rich history of therapeutic horticulture, including Mattie Cryer’s insights into Craig Hospital’s horticultural therapy program, which has been operational for over forty years, and a heartfelt standing ovation and thanks to horticultural therapy pioneer Dr. Diane Relf for her outstanding contributions to the field.
Dr. Derrick Stowell shared an update about the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s recent job analysis initiative, including identifying critical knowledge, skills and abilities for HT professionals through a survey as well as exploring the idea of a credentialing exam.
In the UK, Thrive and Trellis are developing professional registration processes for HT and TH professionals, all of which are significant and exciting steps towards standardizing and raising awareness of the profession. As we continue to look ahead, one significant way we can all contribute to the field’s bright future is by supporting World Therapeutic Horticulture Day, held annually on May 18. Fiona Thackeray of Trellis Scotland spearheaded the collaborative international efforts that led to the inaugural World Therapeutic Horticulture Day in 2023 and encouraged us all to actively participate in this important annual event on May 18, 2025 to celebrate and raise awareness of our profession.
Looking ahead, we also celebrated the future of the profession with Seo-Hyun Kim receiving the ISHS Young Minds Award for his research on the psycho-physiological and psychological responses to contact with different plant foliages.
The IPPS highlighted the critical role horticulture plays in promoting health and well-being. From therapeutic horticulture’s impact on temperature regulation to the deep emotional connections fostered through gardening, the symposium showcased a wide range of perspectives and practices. As we return home and get back to work, these are some key areas we hope to focus on as a result of this learning:
- Improve how we communicate what we do to stakeholders and adapt our language according to our audiences.
- Ensure that climate change awareness is an inherent part of TH and not a separate ideal.
- Continue to support research in the field and utilize it to inform our practices.
- Continue to collaborate locally and internationally to share best practices, standardize jargon, provide support and promote the profession.
If you found this article insightful and want to stay updated on the latest trends and advancements in therapeutic horticulture, we invite you to join our GrowTH Network, a professional resource and support platform for therapeutic horticulture practitioners and allied health professionals with training in the field.