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This 'n That
"Nature has been our sanctuary and intimate healer, since ancient Egyptians prescribed walks in the garden for the mentally disturbed. In 1985, researchers asked 300 people to visualize "an environment that would be healing" for someone feeling helpless, wounded or in pain. Every single person described an environment with nature. Confirmed now by science as well as anecdote, this healing power (which we can all find in our gardens) underlies the concept of horticultural therapy." from a sidebar in THE HOLISTIC GARDEN by Karen York.
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In Brief -
HORTICULTURE AS THERAPY: Principles and Practice. ed. by Sharon Simson, PhD & Martha Straus, HTM. The comprehensive text book on Horticultural Therapy today. 478pgs / 6 x 9 / $116.95hc
TOUCHING EARTH: Reflections on the Restorative Power of Gardening by Janet Lembke. Essays on the lure of the kitchen garden, the universal links between gardeners. and the healing nature of gardening. 223pgs / 6 x 9 / $22.95hc
| .. | How do you put into words the sense of peace and connection gardeners feel when "working" in the garden. Elemental cycles of life and death, of birth and nurturing, of beauty and simplicity, are unfolding daily in the life of a garden, and through the act of gardening we become a participant rather than a bystander. Here are a few books that take a look at this side of gardening from either a design, practical, academic, or simply thoughtful, point of view.
Evelyn
Books are in alpha by author order.
| ... | | RESTORATIVE GARDENS: The Healing Landscape, by Nancy  Garlach-Spriggs, Richard Enoch Kaufman & Sam Bass Warner Jr. Therapeutic gardens were a vital part of the healing process from the Middle Ages up to the early twentieth century, providing ordered and beautiful settings in which patients could heal, both physically and mentally. In this engaging book, a landscape architect, a physician,
and a historian examine the history and role of modern day restorative gardens in an effort to help us rediscover the importance of human/plant relationships to both our physical and mental health. Presented here are studies of six particular health care centers that incorporate gardens into their therapeutic programs, viewed from these three different perspectives, culminating in a plea to make gardens - rather than mall-like atria - a vital part of our modern health care facilities again. 190pgs / 8 1/2 x 11 / many colour and b&w photos / $74.95hc
~ | GREEN NATURE / HUMAN NATURE: The Meaning of Plants in Our Lives, by Charles A. Lewis, describes the psychological, sociological and physiological responses of people to vegetation in cities and forest, as well as in horticultural therapy programs in hospitals, geriatric institutions, physical rehabilitation centers, drug rehabilitation programs and correctional institutions. He presents an evolutionary basis for the human attraction to plants. A straightforward look at the very tangible benefits of human/plant interaction, through either participating directly by gardening, or observing and experiencing plants in parks or wilder places. 148pgs / 6 x 9 / $24.95pb
~ |  THE HOLISTIC GARDEN: Creating Spaces for Health and Healing, by Karen York. A book just as much about why to  garden than how. Filled with tips for earth-friendly gardening, it also discusses what the garden gives back to us, be it the serenity found in a reflecting pool, or healthy organic vegetables. Soil health and its importance to success is covered better than in many other practical guides, and tips for drought tolerant gardening are excellent. Lists and sidebars help us with problems such as gardening under black walnut
trees, growing veggies in containers, or being aware of poisonous plants. Karen York is on the board of the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Assoc. and this book is her successful attempt to inform and instruct on how to see our garden and the gardening experience as much more than just growing plants. A good addition to a well rounded library for both its practical advice and its message. 168pgs / 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 / colour photos throughout / $31.95pb
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