REI talks about the link between healing and nature.

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Great American Gardeners Awards

The American Horticultural Society is currently accepting nominations for our Great American Gardeners Awards. The awards that we are accepting nominations for this year, include the Horticultural Therapy Award, which recognizes significant contributions to the field of horticultural therapy.

The deadline for submissions is September 28, 2019.

Nominations

Did you see this recent article on mindbodygreen?

The Research Is In: Yes, Gardening Totally Counts As Exercise

Did you see this article in Prevention magazine?

https://www.prevention.com/health/g27586276/benefits-of-indoor-plants/

New Horticultural Therapy Textbook.

AHTA members edit the recent release of the first horticultural therapy textbook published in 21 years! More information here

Taking time to smell the proverbial roses is helping people combat stress at a local hospital. 

A new study reached that conclusion by analyzing the impact micro-doses of nature had on reducing stress for nurses, doctors, and patient at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in North Portland.

The Heart of the Hospital from TKF Foundation on Vimeo.

The Heart of the Hospital - At a level 1 trauma hospital in Portland, Oregon, nature is being deeply incorporated to improve patient care and outcomes through a therapeutic garden—gently transforming the hospital experience. For patients and their families; for hospital employees. Learn more at naturesacred.org/sacred_place/a-nature-place/

The American Horticultural Therapy Association would like to congratulate the 2018 Annual Awards Winners. Each year, to further our mission to promote and advance the practice of horticultural therapy, AHTA sponsors an annual awards program to recognize the contributions of individuals and organizations whose personal initiative and achievement define outstanding performance in the field. Below are the winners for 2018:

For your reading pleasure, the Summer edition of the AHTA Magazine is now available!

Highlights of this issue include:

Gardening becomes healing with horticultural therapy

It's a warm, sunny morning in Tony Wright's lush backyard in Roswell, Georgia. The retired human-resources manager sits on a folding chair and gazes around in contemplation, surrounded by shade trees and chirping birds. He sips coffee and reads from his 12-step program book, "Daily Reflections." Then he takes a slow walk through his garden, observing how his plants are doing and what they might need.

Learn more

Please join the AHTA Board of Directors in congratulating our newly elected and re-elected Directors:

• Erin Backus, MS, CRC, HTR
• Tim Garland, RLA
• Jonathan Irish, MA, LPC, HTR
• Laura Rumpf, HTR

Thank you to the members who took the time to vote. Join us in October at the AHTA Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, to meet your new Board of Directors. 

April 24, 2018

Here's How Gardening Benefits Your Health
Stay fit, stress less, and make friends in your own yard.

The American Horticultural Therapy Association is excited to announce new sponsorship and advertising opportunities for the 2018 Annual Conference! We have thoughtfully launched a new program to better connect our supporters with those in the horticultural therapy profession, including horticultural therapy practitioners, researchers, and educators.

A few of the benefits include:

For your reading pleasure, the summer edition of the AHTA Magazine is now available!

Highlights of this issue include:

HT Week events at A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab- Atlanta

Today was the official opening and dedication of our third horticultural therapy greenhouse at A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab in Atlanta.  We have three buildings in the Atlanta area.

In recognition of New Jersey Horticultural Therapy Week March 18^th to 24^th, a Congressional Proclamation from Congressman Leonard Lance, R-7 and a Citation to Horticultural Therapist, Laura DePrado, member of the American Horticultural Therapy Association, and a Proclamation by the Somerset County Freeholders were presented on March 13^th at a meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders.   New Jersey Horticultural Therapy Week” celebrates increasing public awareness of the importance of horticultural therapy in improving the quality of life for all, and to increase opportunities for each individual to experience the endless benefits of the people-plant Connection.   DePrado was cited with Commendations and Praise for published article in the Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture and commitment in raising awareness to Horticultural Therapy.  National Horticultural Therapy Week was established by Congress for the year 2006 to coincide with spring and the Vernal Equinox.  New Jersey is the first and only state to designate a week every year through bipartisan Resolution #12 Co-Sponsored by Senator “Kip” Bateman, R-16, and Senator Joseph Vitale, D-19, and spearheaded by DePrado.

Horticultural Therapy is the time proven practice of utilizing the therapeutic benefits of working in a peaceful garden environment and using horticulture as modality to improve quality of life.  It is practiced through social, vocational and therapeutic programs and successfully empowers individual to achieve their maximum independence in settings such as rehabilitative, hospitals, senior centers, residential, and schools.