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As with any successful project, a good plan and flexibility are essential. Horticultural therapy requires one to be especially mindful of the patient, gardening techniques and type of garden. Keeping these in mind should make the experience rewarding and successful. Your Patients' Needs - Starting a horticultural therapy program requires you to tailor the gardening techniques to fit the patient. The gardening area will need to be accessible for wheelchair bound patients, and for those who require walkers or need assistance walking. The area should be kept clean and tidy without debris on the ground to reduce the risk of falls. With the gardening projects, you want to keep safety on the forefront of the activities. Make sure the patients are using tools correctly. Make sure that none of the accessories to the tools irritate the skin, cause abrasions, or even tear through thin skin. Of course, your tailoring will be more specific for each gardening situation. Gardening Techniques - There is literally a world of gardening techniques out there. However, there are some general rules of thumb for gardening techniques for people with disabilities. As we have said on other pages of this website, you will want to enable the patients and keep them interested and challenged, but not frustrated. This can be accomplished by starting with simple, non-challenging tasks to get a grasp of what your patients can accomplish. You might find that some patients might not ever exceed these simple tasks. You might be surprised that other patients will surpass these tasks and go on to the more challenging tasks very quickly. Types of Gardens - Garden types range from tropical rainforests to winter wonderlands. The first thing to remember about garden types is to choose plants that are indigenous to the area that you are in. To obtain a list of plants that will grow in your region, you might want to check your local plant nursery. Every county or parish has an extension of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They have a wealth of information. The local Agricultural Extension Office is also a good source. However, be sure to get plants that aren't poisonous. Preparation - Once you have chosen your plants, you will want to get a basic design of how you want the garden to look. Draw sketches, freehand or with graph paper, or even a graphics tool on the computer, to get an idea of the layout from different angles. If you need ideas you might want to check with landscaping companies, garden clubs or the internet. You also might want to get input from your patients and their families to come up with ideas. Next, get a list of materials together. Shop around for the best prices and, if the garden is for a program you are starting, seek donations.
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