Gardens for the senses : gardening as therapy / by Hank Bruce.

Gardening as therapy

"The garden can be a place of healing, where everyone can be accepted; where stress can be released, and renewal and peace can be discovered. In this book the reader is introduced to the value of therapeutic gardening, and the empowerment of the people-plant connection. This is a "why to garden" rather than a "how to garden" guide for the 21st century.

Many of us enjoy gardening for our own therapy, placing us in the moment, noticing the beauty of the world around us. Come along on a journey through the garden as a sensory experience, and explore ways that these personal discoveries can be used to improve the quality of life. Fans around the world who enjoyed the first edition have reported that the chapter on edible flowers is a sheer delight.

Gardens for the Senses, Gardening as Therapy also introduces the reader to the role of professional horticultural therapists. The reader is invited to explore the ways gardening programs can be used as a therapeutic tool for patients in hospitals or rehabilitation centers, and the residents of senior care facilities; for abuse or trauma/PTSD victims, Alzheimer's and stroke patients, inmates in prison systems, drug addicts and a multitude of special populations. The expanding role of school and neighborhood gardens in growing a sense of community is explored."--Publisher description.

Rio Rancho, NM : Petals & Pages Press, 2013.

147 pages ; 23 cm

Revised and expanded.

"First published by Winner Enterprises in 1999."-- Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-147).

Appealing to the Senses -- Beyond the Physical Senses -- Gardening as Therapy -- Therapy for the Body -- Therapy for the Mind -- Therapy for the Soul -- Who Benefits from Therapeutic Gardening? -- Healing Communities in the Garden -- Senior Populations -- Special Gardens -- Safe Plants & Dangerous Plants.