INSIGHTS FROM THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL OF THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE: MY TOP TEN LIST

Horticulture and gardening may be one of the oldest healing arts but as a science, horticultural therapy is still quite young among the therapeutic disciplines. In recent years the interest in the therapeutic benefits of people-plant interactions has exploded and the many benefits have been touted across the globe through popular media. While this has certainly brought positive attention to and awareness of the horticultural therapy profession, it has also created much confusion about the many facets of people-plant interactions. Case reports and research are beginning to illuminate these facets but much more research is needed to pinpoint the positive health outcomes resulting from horticultural therapy as a treatment intervention.
There are countless horticultural therapy programs all over the world that are achieving real results and changing people’s lives but many would argue that is not enough; the horticultural therapy profession has yet to be recognized and supported as a viable and reimbursable treatment therapy and this will only happen through rigorous research and advancement of the profession. Research is taking place within the profession and its allied disciplines and with every outcome reported those in the profession come closer to understanding scientifically what they feel intuitively; that interaction with plants and nature is good for humans. This paper discusses these issues and the importance for those in the horticultural therapy field to get involved in the promotion and advancement of the profession.
The Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture (JTH) is the primary publication for the horticultural therapy profession in the U.S. and as a result, most topics and issues concerning the field find their way to the desk of the JTH’s editor-in-chief; the author of this paper. With that perspective in mind, this paper will briefly explore some insights on the current state and needs of the horticultural therapy profession, looking at its evolution and the challenges that it faces as it moves toward full recognition as a therapeutic treatment modality.