Therapeutic Gardening

What is Therapeutic Gardening?

Therapeutic gardening can be potting plants with grandma or digging for worms in your vegetable garden with the kids. It's gardening that promotes physical, social, and emotional health. It also offers education and training opportunities, not only in horticulture, but life skills, literacy, and numeracy which lead to improvements in confidence, pride, quality of life, and self-esteem.  It is the use of garden space and activities to help people enhance their health and well-being.

For more information, take a look at this Virginia Cooperative Extension publication written by Phyllis Turner, Ph.D., RN, Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener, Bedford County, VA.

What do you offer?

Our therapeutic gardening team offers many programs throughout the greater Williamsburg community. Our programs have the goal of promoting the well-being and quality of life of people with special needs. Volunteers offer a variety of horticultural activities, such as gardening in containers, using the senses to learn about herbs, and creating simple horticulture-related crafts.

Our therapeutic gardening projects have been conducted in partnership with a variety of locations in the greater Williamsburg community including Williamsburg Landing, Windsor Meade, Envoy, Patriots Colony, Spring Arbor, Morningside, Dominion Village, Brookdale1`, Methodist Respite Care Center, New Zion Baptist and Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church (Senior Champions Programs), Eastern State Hospital and the Williamsburg Botanical Garden.

Here are a few activities our team has put together for you to share with family and friends.