IN A small fragrant garden on the grounds of Serenity Hollow Farm in Franklin, Tennessee, a team of horticultural caregivers lifts three severely disabled young people from wheelchairs, and move them to the rim of a shallow pond in the process of being enveloped by mist from nearby sprayers.

The scent of the herbs intensifies, and a caregiver picks a rose from a nearby bed, plucks off some petals, and rubs them slowly on one of the patients’ cheeks.
Thad,   the patient, a boy who rarely shows physical or cognitive reaction to anything, seems to awaken. A hint of a smile flutters across his lips, and his eyes begin to roll.
“It’s a very positive response from him,” says Marilyn Reel, Director of Mur-Ci Homes, the Nashville residential care facility for Thad and another 39 mentally and physically disabled people.
Designed by David Dumont Jnr, ASLA, the therapeutic gardens’ Serenity Hollow Farm, comprises several recent projects which are all attempting to revive an ancient concept that allows people with illness or physical or mental impairments to experience the restorative properties of nature.
The idea of healing mentally or physically ill patients through contact with nature was the main point presented by Dr. Juliet A. Niehaus, Director of Horticultural Therapy/Grant Writer of the Tucson Botanical Gardens, in Tuscon, Arizona, USA during a recent visit to Guyana at the invitation of  Partners of the Americas.
Horticulture is that area of agriculture that includes fruits, vegetables, woody ornamental plants (trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers), flowers and small ornamental plants.
Horticultural therapy has been  formally defined by the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) as a process that utilizes plants and horticulture activities to improve social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of persons; thus improving their minds, bodies and spirits.  It involves the use of plants and related activities as tools to promote healing and rehabilitating people with special needs.
According to information presented by Dr. Niehaus, gardening makes people active participants in the process of nature, not passive observers. People can connect with the earth by putting their hands in the soil, and thereby be able to experience a balanced relationship with their universe.
Plants help people become more aware of their environment, and the world they live in.
Both indoor and outdoor gardening, she said, present people with an excellent tool for stress reduction and health management. Dr. Niehaus has said that horticultural therapy has been practiced for many years.
In 1768, Benjamin Rush declared that digging in the soil had a curative effect on the mentally ill, and Dr. Niehaus has said that behavioural researchers have found that when people experience stress, it is very helpful for them to have a view of nature.
Horticulture is a valuable medium, because it helps people to adjust to disabilities, learn new skills, renew confidence, and develop self-esteem, which can lead to new interest in life and improved mental and physical health. Horticultural activities also serve as a source of relaxation, enjoyment accomplishment, and satisfaction.
Dr. Niehaus disclosed that a recent study in the United States placed people under stress by showing a worker-safety film depicting serious injuries, with simulated blood and mutilation. The participants in the study exhibited high levels of physiological stress recovery when shown video tapes of several natural scenes, including trees, vegetation, and a fast-moving stream. Their rates of blood pressure and heart rate and muscle tension all went down.
Another scientist found that humans seek out nature as a refuge, because they are evolved from nature. They have certain inherent responses to landscapes that would have had high survival values to early humans, such as savannah settings with canopied trees that indicate the close proximity of water.
Horticultural therapy programmes are used with various populations, including persons with mental, emotional or physical impairments, and the incarcerated. The method is used in schools, hospitals, geriatric facilities, and rehabilitation and care centres.
“Peaceful and tranquil” are words people often use to describe horticultural therapy. Healing through contact with nature can also be used by stressed out people.