THE STATUS OF HORTICULTURAL THERAPY IN CANADA: PRACTICE, RESEARCH, EDUCATION

Over the past 60 years, horticulture as therapy has been increasingly used as an evidence-based practice. However, it was the care of returning veterans after World War II that significantly expanded the use of horticultural activities and gardening in structured rehabilitative programs. This paper presents an overview of the development of horticultural therapy and therapeutic horticulture in Ontario and British Colombia, outlining how practice is spreading throughout the rest of the country from those two important epicentres. The crucial role of the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association (CHTA) in the development of the profession of horticultural therapy is also highlighted.