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| Book by Elvin McDonald co. 1976 |
Okay, I’m not suggesting that you cancel your therapist
appointment or stop taking your anti-depressant, but plants can help with the
everyday stress we all have. I have a magnet on my refrigerator that reads “I
most often find that happiness is right where I planted it.”
That is so true!
My favorite thing to do is groom my houseplants; repotting them, cleaning them,
and pruning off any dead leaves. It’s a soothing, rewarding hobby (obsession?)
for me. What can plants do for us, other than provide food, shade, oxygen, and
clothing? Plants can improve moods, make one more productive, and relax us.
Does this all sound too good to be true? Does it sound like
a bunch of mumbo jumbo? Well, I’m not making this up. People go to college to
get degrees in Horticultural Therapy. Michigan State University gave the first
undergraduate degree in Horticulture Therapy in 1955. Where did this concept
come from? In the late 1950’s, Alice Burlingame established horticultural
therapy programs with volunteers from garden clubs, and taught classes at the
Pontiac State Hospital for their employees. The American Horticultural Therapy
Association defines horticulture therapy as, “a process utilizing plants and
horticultural activities to improve social, educational, psychological, and
physical adjustment of persons thus improving their body, mind, and spirit.”
How many plants and flowers have you taken to people in the
hospital? It’s the normal practice, but why? If you’ve ever been in the
hospital, you know that when visitors arrive with plants or flowers, it
brightens your day. Many hospitals now have beautiful atriums filled with
plants where patients and their families can go to relax, recuperate, and
meditate.
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| University of Michigan atrium |
When I had surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital, I was
wheeled down to the atrium many times. Hospitals are so white and sterile and
cold. Going to a place filled with the sound of water, the green of plants, and
the aroma of soil made all the difference. It made me feel at home, and many other
people were there enjoying it as well. Of course, my friends filled my room with
plants (not cut flowers) as they know I can’t live without a plant or two (or 500)
around me.
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| U of M atrium |
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| Hospital plants or therapy as I saw it. |
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| Hospital plants |
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| Hospital plants and a bird too. |
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| Atrium at Henry Ford West Bloomfield hospital |
The new Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield also has incorporated
a beautiful atrium into its newly built hospital. I talked to Rebekah, the
Director of Public Relations, and she informed me that it contains over 3000
plants and was installed as a place for people to visit and relax in. The
hospital has also installed a greenhouse on the grounds where they grow vegetables
and herbs hydroponically for use in their restaurant and inpatient food
program. Horticultural therapy is also
practiced in the greenhouse with some patients.
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| Henry Ford hospital atrium |
While visiting New York this spring, my daughter and I
visited her friend living in Brooklyn. She had left friends and family to start
a new job. She had one small plant in her apartment and we joked about the fact
that she would call out to it when she walked in the door, “Honey, I’m home!”
Everyone needs another living thing to talk to, even if it is a plant. Of
course, while at the New York Botanical Garden, I bought her another “friend”.
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| New York Botanical Garden gift shop |
As a young mother with a husband working 60-80 hours a week,
I found that I needed to get out of the house and interact with other adults. I
found a local garden club, of which I’ve been a member for over 20 years. Joining
a garden club or plant society brings like-minded people together to discuss
their gardens and plants. I have made many new friends by becoming a member of
these groups. They usually meet once a month and I look forward to these
evenings spent talking about plants with people who are as crazy about them as
I am, and sometimes even more so, if that’s possible. One of the many programs
my garden club is involved in is a program called Garden Therapy. The members
of the garden club go into the special needs classrooms in the Farmington Hills
area and make a craft with the children once a month. These crafts always
incorporate some form of plant material. It is a rewarding project for the members and
the kids get so excited when they see the “garden ladies” coming.
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| Corner of my greenhouse (Makes me happy) |
Plants in your home are like infants. They depend on you for
all their needs, including water, fertilizer, and light. If you take care of
their needs, they will reward you with healthy new growth. If they are
neglected, they will be dusty, diseased, and probably infested with pests.
There is nothing sadder than a poor, dirty, neglected, sick plant. I’ve
encountered many of these, mostly at restaurants, and offices and even in
people’s homes. Little do they know that that taking care of these plants would
probably make their lives more fulfilled and happier, say nothing about the way
their plant would feel. Many studies have been done, proving that plants can
reduce stress and anxiety, improve moods, improve your sense of personal worth,
and increase the sense of pride and accomplishment. All this being said, why
wouldn’t you want to try growing a plant? Whether it’s at home or on your desk
at your office, nurturing a plant, can in turn, nurture you!
