In May our Design Horticulturalist, Anne Houser, got to spend a week at the Chicago Botanical Gardens learning about Restorative Garden Designing and the benefits nature has on our lives. We sat down for a quick Q&A to get the low down…
A: I attended the Healthcare Garden Design Certificate of Merit Program through the Chicago Botanic Garden.
A: The program lasted from May 14th – May 21st.
A: I have always been interested in the healing power of nature and the effects it has on our daily lives. This year after having the opportunity to design a restorative garden for Project Harmony, I was very motivated to learn more and do more.
A: There were 18 people attending the program. We listened to 12 different speakers over the eight days. The students and teachers were from all across the country and from Canada too.
A: A professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bill Sullivan was amazing. He conducted a variety of research studies on people and the effects their nature experience had on their attention span, stress levels, healthy births, crime, etc.. The gist of the results were that across one’s life span (infants to seniors) everyday exposure to trees enhanced one’s health.
A: Everything about the experience was awesome. The theory, the research, the gardens, the people and the friendships combined to be a phenomenal event. And I highly recommend visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden. The gardens are so beautiful.
A: I made quite a few new friends. A wonderful trio of women from Florida were attending so they could incorporate nature interaction and horticulture therapy into their school for special needs children. To me what they were doing was stunning. I also met an awesome Horticulture Therapist from New Jersey. She was so spunky and fun.
A: We need more nature in our lives every day. A walk through a prairie, a drive through a forest, a backyard patio in the canopy of a beautiful tree or a container garden on a balcony all contribute to our overall health.
A: I am excited to apply the theories in every garden I have the privilege of designing.
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