James City County/Williamsburg
Master Gardeners

Therapeutic Gardening Projects

Original watercolor presented to JCC/W MG by Mrs. Honora Wimer, participant in the TG program at Tandem Health Care of Williamsburg, in appreciation. (Mrs. Wimer is deceased as of January 2005)

JCC/W Therapeutic Gardening projects have expanded steadily since the pilot program in 2000. All projects use gardening and horticultural activities to improve physical health, mental health, expand recreational options and generally improve one's health and wellbeing.

At the Methodist Respite Care Center master gardener volunteers work with 5-8 disabled clients, children and adults, integrating the program with church volunteers and student volunteers from William and Mary. New programs are beginning in 2004 at the Springhill unit of Patriot's Colony, and at the Tandem facility. Therapeutic Gardening for the Memory Impaired is an outreach program for caregivers of Alzheimer patients. At the James River Elementary School, volunteers help the teachers at the preschool special needs center design a therapeutic gardening lesson plans to strengthen the areas of learning and behavior noted in the students Individual Educational Plans. The Therapeutic Gardening Outreach Project promotes workshops and seminars and explains therapeutic gardening techniques to various community groups. All therapeutic gardening programs are coordinated by the Therapeutic Gardening chairman. Approximately twenty-five master gardeners are generally involved, often in more than one of these projects.

Four years ago, Therapeutic Gardening gave a workshop at Williamsburg Landing Retirement Center that was attended by 92 professionals and volunteers. The group has given workshops at conventions of the Virginia Association of Activity Professionals (VAAP), Virginia Alzheimer's Association and the American Horticulture Therapy Association (AHTA). In 2002 the JCC/W Master Gardeners Therapeutic Gardening Project was awarded the John Walker National Volunteer Service Award by the AHTA for significant contribution in volunteer program services using horticultural therapy within a community.