Growing evidence indicates that gardening and access to nature has been linked to reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is offering a new workshop that not only highlights these benefits, but helps guide you in the process of accessing your own garden’s therapeutic possibilities. In fact, the burgeoning field of horticultural therapy is focused on developing clinical approaches to utilizing the therapeutic benefits of the garden environment to promote wellness.

In this workshop, participants will learn some of these key principles and how to apply them to everyday gardening at home, supporting health and well-being. According to the American Horticultural Therapy Association, there has been an increase in therapeutic gardens around the country. These gardens are specifically designed to address a variety of applications within healthcare, rehabilitative and other therapeutic settings. A therapeutic garden is a plant-dominated environment purposefully designed to facilitate interaction with the healing elements of nature. Interactions can be passive or active depending on the garden design and users’ needs. There are many sub-types of therapeutic gardens including healing gardens, enabling gardens, rehabilitation gardens, and restorative gardens.

In this guided experience in our Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, horticulturalist and instructor Irene Barber will explain what “Garden Therapy” is, how the Lerner Garden has been designed to facilitate therapeutic experiences through physical and sensory accessibility, and how participants can benefit from garden therapy at home. She’ll explain the many health benefits of gardening, and teach uncomplicated ways to make gardening a part of a healthy lifestyle. Participants will tour through a sampling of CMBG’s gardens, learning how to maximize the enjoyment and benefits of gardening at home.

Irene Barber has a certificate in horticultural therapy from Colorado State University. Owner of Greenscapes Design LLC, she’s an active landscape designer and passionate about designing landscapes that achieve sustainability and therapeutic benefits for her clients. In Irene’s words, “I love working with the plants and soil because of the innate connection to the earth, and I have a strong regard for nature because it teaches me so many lessons about survival.”

Admission to the Gardens for the day is included in the registration price. Participants can register online or call Taylor Eddy at 633-8012.