One of the ways to make you feel happy: plant therapy

Gardening has been a popular activity for centuries. But what is the main reason why we like to keep our homes full of plants - do we look after them for their own sake or does it bring us personal benefit? Can looking after our plants make us happier? The answer lies in the study of horticultural therapy and plant therapy, which has demonstrated the health benefits, both mental and physical, of this hobby.

A very relevant and interesting fact is that growing plants as a therapeutic and liberating activity is available to almost everyone and can significantly improve the quality of life of people, regardless of their age or other factors.

horticultural therapy

For decades, many well-known authors have written about the benefits of gardening for our well-being. Taking care of our plants, whether they are gardens, allotments, terraces or even indoors, generates physiological changes that benefit our organism.

La terapia hortícola, en España aún una gran desconocida, es aceptada desde hace más demedio siglo en Reino Unido, Irlanda, Alemania, Canadá o Estados Unidos. La Asociación de Terapeutas Ocasionales le dio nombre en 1936, reconociendo oficialmente que la práctica de la jardinería y la horticultura servían como tratamiento específico para desórdenes tanto físicos como psíquicos. Sin embargo su origen es bastante anterior, existiendo documentos y varios ejemplos que acreditan su práctica en centros de salud mental desde finales delsiglo XVIII.

plant therapy vs. horticultural therapy

As mentioned above, horticultural therapy is established as a practice to treat illnesses and disorders in patients; it is a guided therapy, with a therapist and a medical follow-up. Horticultural therapists are trained and educated staff of rehabilitation teams (they can be doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists...) who involve the patient in the different phases of gardening as a means to achieve an improvement in their life and in their diagnosis. Horticultural therapy gardens are specially designed by experts.

¿Significa esto que no podemos obtener los beneficios de cuidar plantas en nuestra casa? La respuesta es un rotundo “por supuesto que podemos”. La plantaterapia está al alcance de todos, no importa si tenemos un maxijardin que preparar o unas plantas en nuestro pequeño balcón.

What are the benefits of plant therapy?

To be clear... What do we really get out of plant therapy? What do we get out of caring for our plants?

The American horticulturist and writer C.A. Lewishabouts this in his book GreenNature/Human Nature: THE MEANING OF PLANTS IN OURLIVES and defines the garden as "a safe place, a benevolent environment where everyone is welcome. Plants are non-judgmental, non-threatening, and non-discriminatory. They respond to attention, not to the strengths or weaknesses of the person who has provided it. It does not matter whether one is black or white, has been to kindergarten or university, is poor or rich, healthy or sick: plants thrive when attention is given with care. Thus, in a garden, you can take the first step towards self-confidence".

individual benefits

1. Planting, watering, caring for and looking at our plants helps our mind to learn to relax and to escape from the repetitive and negative thoughts that run through our heads. It is a form of meditation.
2. It increases our ability to organise and manage our care.
3. If your plants are outdoors, outdoor activities and exposure to sunlight help our body to produce endorphins - the famous endorphins! which relieve body pain and improve the feeling of well-being.
4. Eating fruits and vegetables produced and harvested by yourself is satisfying, which can improve our self-esteem and help us to maintain a balanced diet.
5. It makes us connected to nature and the earth, which is liberating for us in today's lifestyle that takes us further away from the natural environment every day.
6. Our garden, our terrace, is a space where we feel free of judgement and confident, which frees our minds from our daily stress and our daily problems.
7. It's a way of digital disconnection. Taking care of our plants can be our moment of oasis of digital disconnection, something really necessary in this age full of screens and technology.
8. It develops our creativity.

family benefits

1. It is also a great family activity. Young children often enjoy being part of the development process.
2. Observing and learning more about the growth of plants and their fruits makes children more aware and creates better eating habits, such as including vegetables and fruits in their diet in a natural way.

start your green therapy!

Y ahora que ya sabemos todo esto ¿Cómo empezamos? Echa un vistazo a nuestra página principal y elige el mejor tipo de planta para ti y para tu hogar. Si tu relación con ellas aún está empezando, puedes empezar con iniciarte con alguna(s) de estas plantas de fácil cuidado.

Aprende conocimientos básicos sobre cómo mantener sanas tus plantas en nuestro blog, aquí tienes información sobre cómo cuidar tu monstera, calathea, pilea, poto dorado, orquídea... ¡Y a empezar la plantaterapia!