Wellness

Therapeutic horticulture gives people a calm, concrete way to focus, move, and connect with others. Tending plants, working with herbs, and helping them grow on a daily basis turns courtyards and buildings into well-kept green spaces that support programs and time together.

Many residents live or receive services in buildings with little or no green spaces. Outdoor areas may be paved, cramped, or overgrown. People may be coping with serious mental illness, histories of being unhoused, physical limitations, or involvement with the court system, which can make group activities feel risky, tiring, or unfamiliar. In jails and detention centers, access is often interrupted by lockdowns and strict security rules. A small, specialized team must serve many sites while staying within partner protocols.

We pair therapeutic programs with garden-building, creating raised beds, container gardens, and indoor plantings that people can return to week after week. Horticultural therapists and trained staff design activities that break tasks into manageable steps and use sensory cues such as touching soil, watering, pruning, and harvesting to engage people in movement, focus, and conversation. If access to an outdoor site is disrupted, we shift to flexible formats such as simple workbooks or indoor plant kits, then rebuild groups and routines when in-person sessions resume. We also train partner staff to use straightforward therapeutic horticulture techniques, so gardens remain part of everyday care, even on non-program days.

Participants experience moments of calm, agency, and shared purpose as they see plants respond to their care and harvest herbs or vegetables to use or share. Buildings and programs gain gardens that turn overlooked outdoor spaces into places of beauty, structure, and neighborly connection.

We use gardens, soil, and simple tools to give people living in detention centers structured time to focus and work with their hands and their senses. Plant care creates moments of calm and shared purpose, turning secure facilities and community programs into places where growth and change feel possible.

People in custody and youth detention live with high stress, trauma, and limited access to nature. Outdoor areas are often paved, enclosed, or tightly controlled. Access to programming can shift suddenly because of lockdowns, staffing shortages, or security decisions. In community reentry settings, schedules are compressed, trust can be fragile, and shared spaces must support people who are rebuilding daily life.

We respond by leading structured group sessions in gardens, courtyards, and inside facilities. Activities such as planting, watering, pruning, and observing growth are paired with quiet time and simple conversation, giving participants concrete tasks and opportunities to reset. Staff and participants create and maintain planted areas and return to the same beds week after week, so people can see living proof of their caregiving efforts.  

Participants experience calmer moments, clearer focus, and a sense of agency as they watch plants respond to their care. Facilities and community partners gain planted spaces that soften tightly controlled settings, support wellness efforts, and keep people connected to the natural world. 

We bring plant-centered activities into supportive housing so residents can see, touch, and tend to plants where they live. Courtyards, yards, and small planted areas become places where residents can connect to their homes, sit outside, water and weed beds, and spend time with neighbors. 

Many buildings begin with blank pavement, narrow planting strips, or overgrown beds that residents pass without using. People may be coping with serious health challenges, past homelessness, or long stretches of isolation, so outdoor areas must feel predictable, safe, and nonjudgmental before they can become part of daily life. Housing staff already manage many responsibilities and work within tight budgets, which leaves little capacity to design and host regular garden activities. 

We work with on-site teams to plan workshops, gardening sessions, and wellness activities that fit into daily schedules without overloading staff or residents. Raised beds, containers, and accessible plantings make it easier for people to join in garden activities regardless of age and abilities. Interactive gardening, small food-growing projects, cooking sessions, and quiet sensory walks turn garden time into guided programs that support learning, sharing food, and caring for plants. Facilitators keep a steady, predictable pace so residents can take part comfortably and return knowing what to expect. 

Residents use the gardens for gentle movement, calm outdoor time, and more frequent engagement with neighbors and staff. Buildings and surrounding blocks gain planted courtyards and edges that show visible care, host recurring programs, and help outdoor spaces feel like part of home.