What is horticultural therapy?

Horticultural therapy is a therapeutic practice that uses of plants and gardening to improve the mental and physical wellbeing of individuals.

This isn’t gardening as you know it. It’s not another project, chore or list of jobs. It’s a sensory practice that teaches your body how to come back to calm, complete the stress cycle so that your mind can release while growing a garden sanctuary that gives back to you.

Why is there a need for horticultural therapy?

94% of women have felt under extreme pressure or stress in the last year according to Mental health UK’S burnout report. Living our lives at this level of stress is killing us. Many of us are working, caring for young children, caring for elderly parents meaning we have limited time to take care of ourselves and as a result are hitting burnout. Suicide rates in women over 40 are rising which has been attributed to this huge increase in pressure being felt by the ‘sandwich generation’.

In addition, we spend so much time on digital devices which are awful for our mental health, not least because of the constant exposure to disturbing content. But also due to the comparisons we draw between other people’s picture perfect lives and ours in which we feel like we are drowning with no escape.

Horticultural therapy helps you to relieve some of the pressure, lower your stress levels and helps you create a garden sanctuary that holds you, so you don’t have to hold it all alone.

How is it different from regular gardening?

Life is busy and finding hours and hours to garden just isn't realistic for most of us. My horticultural therapy activities help you to get the same benefits from spending hours in the garden in just 20 minutes each day.

The moment you engage your senses you interrupt the mental noise and drop back into your body.

This kind of sensory grounding signals to your nervous system that it’s safe, activating the parasympathetic state - the ‘rest and restore’ state which is where the true healing happens.

Clients say ‘It’s like someone turned the volume down in my head and turned presence back on.’

How can horticultural therapy help me?

Horticultural therapy helps you complete the stress cycle. Stress doesn’t leave your body just because the busy day is over, it gets stored unless it has a way out. Gentle, embodied movement during horticultural therapy activities gives it that release.

It will enable you to:

• Quiet your mind and achieve a sense of clarity.

• Allow stress, worry and self-doubt to fade into the background so that you can feel good in the moment and rediscover your aliveness.

• Take that lasting sense of happiness, joy and fulfilment into the rest of your day and even the rest of your week.

• Find the time and headspace to reconnect with yourself so that you can feel like yourself again.

• Create a garden sanctuary that holds you for a change a place where your nervous system finally exhales.

Why wouldn't I just pay someone else to design and create my garden sanctuary for me?

You could absolutely do that. But I believe that if you truly want to feel held and experience the healing and therapeutic benefits of gardening and horticultural therapy you need to create your garden sanctuary yourself. This isn’t about completing your garden project so it’s off of your to do list. It’s about creating a rhythm with your garden that restores your nervous system daily, so peace, joy and presence become the norm, not the exception.

How do I know which of your packages is right for me?

You know you need some help creating your garden sanctuary and you know i'm the woman to help, but which package is right for you?

Fill in the contact form here and let me know, where you and your garden are at (e.g. anxious, overwhelmed and overgrown) and where you want you and your garden to be (e.g. alive, feeling held and bursting with colourful flowers).

It's really important to me that every client I have feels really nurtured and well looked after and gets that top notch level of service. For that reason I aim to get back to you within 24-48hrs, but please know that if i'm able to get back to you sooner, I absolutely will!

I'll ask you a couple of questions to help determine which of my packages is most suitable for you and then send you my thoughts.

Once you've decided it's a HELL YES to working with me, i'll send you a payment link and then a link to book in your first session or to join the community.

It really is that simple!