Health Professionals

Ninewells Community Therapeutic Garden, at the end of filming with the Beechgrove Garden Tern TV crewHealth professionals of all disciplines are using gardening to help people get well and stay well. Are you a GP, an occupational therapist, a nurse, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, community psychiatric nurse or physiotherapist interested in offering gardening as part of your practice? Through the Trellis Project Network, you can contact others who offer gardening as a therapeutic intervention to help people dealing with health conditions of all kinds. You may want to get in touch to learn from others or just to exchange ideas. The Trellis network of therapeutic gardening projects is varied and includes groups offering services to:

  • People recovering from a head or spinal injury, or from mental ill health, cancer, stroke or accident
  • People living with learning disabilities, with autism or dementia
  • Children, refugees and people seeking asylum; people who have survived torture and veterans living with PTSD
  • Individuals living with arthritis or lung conditions, with Multiple Sclerosis and Spina Bifida.
  • Homeless people, people in prison and those dealing with addictions
  • Disabled people, including those with physical or sensory disabilities, and with multiple and complex support needs.

“I think that every Occupational Therapist should be going on this course.”

—Occupational Therapist participating in Trellis Bite-sized Gardening Training Day, Kilmarnock, October 2018.

Browse the Map and Directory of projects to get a sense of the projects in the network or contact us if you would like help to find projects working in your area or with the same target group.

Support Services Learn new horticulture or care skills at our Training Days, pick up new ideas at one of our Good Practice events, and share news and tips with over 150 delegates at our Annual Conference (link).

Contact us for help, advice and a friendly chat about your therapeutic plans and questions – we’ll try to find all the answers you need via our Query Service.

Browse our factsheets on everything from ‘Dementia and Gardening’ to easier, ‘Adaptive Gardening’ ideas.

Explore some of the research evidence relevant to therapeutic gardening. Being aware of the pertinent studies helps you understand how gardening fits within your evidence-based practice.