UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (ASTH)

Welcome to the UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (ASTH) – the professional body representing therapeutic horticulture across the UK.

Founded in 2021 by Trellis and joined by Thrive in 2023, ASTH sets national standards for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) practice. As the UK’s professional association for this field, ASTH defines the code of ethics, quality benchmarks, roles and best practices to ensure public trust and deliver meaningful outcomes for clients. Its development is guided by a dedicated group of over 100 practitioners (the professional development forum) who actively shape its direction and uphold excellence in the sector.

We are pleased to let you know that we have now finalised the Practitioner Competencies. These competencies have been created by a working group of practitioners, alongside Trellis and Thrive, and outline the abilities that Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) Practitioners need in order to fulfil their responsibilities safely and effectively, in line with the UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (ASTH) Practice Standards and Code of Ethics.

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Professional Association & Register FAQs

Follow the link below for Professional Association & Register FAQs

The Routes to Registration are for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture (STH) practitioners who wish to apply to become a registered practitioner

Find out more about the draft routes to registration here.

Code of Ethics

This code will be one of the main guiding documents for practitioners who join the accredited register, to be held by the UK Association for Social and Therapeutic Horticulture