Education — Horticultural Therapy Services

Programs for Health at the Chicago Botanic Garden

PHOTO: woman with hanging plant Nature has a remarkable capacity to heal.Plants, gardens and natural landscapes provide the ideal setting for restoring health and improving well-being.

An outing to the Chicago Botanic Garden may be just what the doctor ordered to help achieve better physical, emotional and spiritual fitness.

Bring your group to the Chicago Botanic Garden for a therapeutic program in the Buehler Enabling Garden. The following programs are available to health and human service agencies throughout the growing season. Programs are designed to be accessible to all audiences. Preregistration by phone is required for these programs. Each has a fee.

Life Enrichment Programs

The Garden's horticultural therapy staff has designed
a variety of fun, enjoyable activities that encourage
socialization and support therapeutic objectives.
Each activity operates as a single-session, 45- to
60-minute program. Scents and Senses activities
include the following:

Plant propagation – Visitors learn to make a stem cutting using zip-lock bags as rooting chambers. Hands-on work with plant and soil materials develops fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination.
Herb harvesting – Participants enhance social interaction and sensory stimulation through tasting, touching and smelling herbs they've harvested themselves.
Fresh or dried flower arranging – Participants create a seasonal flower arrangement, providing an opportunity for creative expression, while promoting hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Birdseed making – This activity fosters awareness of the natural world, developing fine motor skills and stimulating senses as participants remove seeds from the seed heads of a variety of plants to make birdseed mix.
Sensory tour – This guided, walking, nature tour promotes gross motor skills and stimulates the senses.

A variety of options are available for groups from healthcare facilities and human services agencies. Programs take place outdoors, mid-May through mid-October with certain activities weather- and season-dependent. There is a maximum capacity of 15 participants, plus any staff required by the group. Pre-registration is required. There is a $120 charge per group, per activity, which includes all materials.

Download the Brochure

Download Registration Form

Buehler Enabling Garden Programs

The award-winning Buehler Enabling Garden is a beautiful 11,000-square-foot garden that demonstrates many of the strategies and designs taught through our Healthcare Therapy and Design program. Raised beds, vertical gardens and hanging baskets bring the pride and pleasure of gardening to people of all abilities and ages. The Buehler Enabling Garden is staffed seven days a week (May through October) by trained volunteers who can explain the special features of this unique garden and demonstrate easy gardening techniques. Visit on your own or arrange a tour for your group to learn the latest tips for bringing the benefits of gardening into your life or the lives of your clients.

Horticultural Therapy Services are generously supported by an endowment created by the Buehler Family Foundation and a grant from the Grant Healthcare Foundation. The Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation and the Edmond and Alice Opler Foundation provide additional support.