There’s something soothing about working in a garden. The feeling of dirt in your hands and watching a plant flourish bring a sense of serenity and fulfillment.

The therapeutic practice of gardening has proven to have significant physical, social and cognitive benefits, and has been specialized in the field of horticultural therapy.

“Horticultural therapy is the process of connecting people and plants through vocational, social and therapeutic programs under the direction of a Horticultural Therapist,” says Laura DePrado, horticultural specialist and therapy practitioner with Final Touch Plantscaping LLC.
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Flowers and plants used for Horticultural Therapy activities for children through seniors at all stages of life, abilities and social, vocational and rehabilitative and therapeutic settings. During the winter months a wide range of Horticultural Therapy activities are facilitated indoors, with or without a greenhouse. Activity examples include, but are not limited to, forcing small, medium and large bulbs, such as Amaryllis and Paper Whites, care and maintenance of houseplants, plant propagation, creating succulent gardens and terrariums, flower arranging and seed starting. Plants possess interactive qualities that involve people. Plants stimulate our sight/vision, scent, hearing, touch and taste. (Photo: ~Courtesy of Laura DePrado)

Consumer horticulture is the cultivation, use, and enjoyment of plants, gardens, landscapes and related horticultural items to the benefit of individuals, communities, and the environment. These activities rely on the understanding and application of the art and science of horticulture.

The percentage of U.S. households participating in consumer horticulture will increase from 70 percent in 2014 to 90 percent by 2025, according to the U..SD.A. National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture. (more…)

Laura DePrado, horticultural therapist and owner of Final Touch Plantscaping, LLC in Branchburg, is the recipient of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association 2015 Distinguished Service Award. ​

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes the contributions of an individual or organization that has given generously of their time and resources to support and grow the horticulture industry in New Jersey.

“I am honored and grateful to the NJNLA for this award,” DePrado said. “The support of the NJNLA in raising awareness about Horticultural Therapy cannot be measured.”

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The New Leaf Gardeners Horticultural Vocational program at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in Ewing Township supports recovery from mental illness. (Photo: ~Courtesy of Lauren DePrado)

The New Leaf Gardener Program is one of several therapeutic and vocational training opportunities available to clients at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital.

The New Leaf Gardeners Horticultural Vocational program at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in Ewing Township supports recovery from mental illness, improves outlook and life satisfaction, helps clients to cope with and recover from stress, improves concentration and sense of accomplishment. Evidenced-based research demonstrates that simply viewing plants has been shown to reduce fear, anger, blood pressure and muscle tension.

The New Leaf Gardener Program (NLG) is one of several therapeutic and vocational training opportunities available to clients at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital. This specific program began in 2011, but the tradition of gardening at the hospital goes back before World War I and even the Civil War.

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Spirit of Giving is Ceremony Theme

Immediate Release: November 30, 2015
Contact: Lynne Richmond
(609) 633-2954
lynne.richmond@ag.state.nj.us

(WHITE TOWNSHIP) – As part of the Christie Administration’s fifth annual ‘Season of Service’ initiative, New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today cut a Christmas tree at Wyckoff’s Tree Farm in White Township, Warren County, ceremonially kicking off the choose and cut Christmas tree season. Secretary Fisher also thanked growers for their generosity in participating in a new program, “Christmas Trees for New Jersey Military Families.”

Governor Christie proclaimed November 30 as Jersey Grown Christmas Tree Day, encouraging New Jersey residents to support the state’s farmers and visit choose and cut Christmas tree farms, as well as showing appreciation of our military during the holiday season.

“As we enter our ‘fourth’ season of New Jersey agritourism, we encourage people to visit choose and cut Christmas tree farms to find their perfect tree and enjoy the experience with their families, making lasting memories,” said Secretary Fisher.  “This also is a time of giving, so we applaud the Christmas tree growers for their generosity and hope state residents will remember to help those in need this holiday season.” (more…)

Dr. Ulrich is Professor of Architecture at the Center for Healthcare Building Research at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden
(Photo: ~Courtesy of Lauren Laura DePrado)

The American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) conducted its 43rd annual conference last month in Portland, Oregon, with the theme, “Research: Shaping the Horticultural Therapy Landscape.” Nearly 200 attendees from around the world attended more than 25 sessions that showcased the research, and New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania were well represented.

The range of professionals who presented included medical doctors, Ph.D.s, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed landscape architects, and registered horticultural therapists.

Rogers S. Ulrich, Ph.D., delivered the keynote address, “Measuring the Benefits of Garden for Hospital Populations,” which detailed Ulrich’s research at Legacy Hospital in Portland.                    (more…)

Freeholder Director Mark Caliguire (back row, third from right) and Freeholder Deputy Director Patricia Walsh (front row, center) take part in the Enabling Garden groundbreaking ceremony at RVCC.

Raritan Valley Community College, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Branchburg, broke ground on an Enabling Garden, October 1, at the College’s Branchburg Campus. The Rotary Club of Branchburg Foundation provided $3,500 of “seed money” for the 5,000 square-foot garden, which will be located next to RVCC’s Conference Center.

The Enabling Garden is one of several such gardens in Central New Jersey created as part of a partnership between Rotary International District 7510 (Central New Jersey) and Rutgers University and its entities, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) and Cooperative Extension.

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Photo courtesy of Laura DePrardo

Flowers have a positive impact on our lives.

A behavioral study conducted at Harvard University shows people feel more compassionate toward others, have less worry and anxiety, and feel less depressed when flowers are present. The history, and evidence-based studies on the benefits of flowers and plants continue to gain notoriety. It makes sense as we would not survive without plants. We wear and grow plants. We use plants to make medicine and many other health supplements. We use in sickness, and in sorrow. (more…)

Photo by: Ed Pagliarini

BRANCHBURG When doctors first diagnosed Laura DePrado with a brain tumor, she felt as if she had been set free. Then studying horticultural therapy at Rutgers University, DePrado said that it was only when she received the diagnosis that she truly felt motivated to celebrate and raise awareness about what she calls “the people-plant connection.”

Years later, DePrado, now a horticultural therapy practitioner and a Rotary District 7510 coordinator, helped break ground Thursday on an Enabling Garden at Raritan Valley Community College’s campus in the North Branch section of the township, an initiative brought about through partnerships with RVCC, Rutgers University and Eagle Scout Patrick O’Rourke of Pittstown.

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