Bridging Corporations with Horticultural Therapy and Wellness

For many Americans, most days spent in the office look like staring at a computer screen. That is eight hours of screentime. Log on, click, type an email, send, lunch, meetings, do it all over again the next day...without ever getting a chance to outdoors to enjoy the beautiful day. Does that sound like your day? Well, it sounds like your office environment could use some changing!

What if you could both get outdoors and bring nature indoors, too, while still being at work? I’m here to tell you that it really is possible, and that you will be able to combine the office experience with the therapeutic effects of plants in whatever way is most suitable and appropriate for your corporate environment.

Read more below to find out what those therapeutic effects of plants are, and how your office can use them in order to make office productivity and results even better.

Therapeutic Effects of Horticulture on Wellbeing

We know that most jobs are indoors, and that working from the inside of four walls should not limit your ability to have the critical benefits of outdoors and horticulture. Gardening or being able to get outside is an amazing tool for recovery and healing, and is essential for wellness. Many studies have found that just seeing the color green has been proven to do wonders for our wellbeing. Being exposed to plants during health recovery has been shown to increase speed of healing.

Working with plants in the garden and being exposed to the fresh air – rather than stale, recycled indoor air – whether by planting, weeding, or watering, is truly an excellent way to be sure that your heartrate lowers, endorphins are released, and stress is reduced, and you will sleep better at night. You are sure to benefit from these qualities if you begin gardening; it only takes one time to see the benefits. Actively gardening and seeing the impact of your effort will boost your self-esteem, making you one step closer to nailing that deal or your speech in your next meeting.

Gardening and being exposed to plants, greenery, or the outdoors has numerous therapeutic impacts on health that I will dive into below. Keep reading below to see the five ways you can bring horticultural therapy and wellness into your office.

5 Ways to Bring Horticultural Therapy to Your Office

Bring houseplants indoors: Create a much needed moment of calm and tranquility with our terrarium kit here. This terrarium kit is the perfect way to have a low maintenance, closed container that thrives on its own, with little effort from you as it flourishes on its own. Having a small living terrarium on your desk is a way that you can feel connected to nature even when you may feel trapped inside your four walls or cubicle. Watching your new terrarium grow inside a glass jar is fulfilling, and the container you choose will be the perfect size for adding some spice to your desk. Seeing the terrarium develop over time with green foliage will add a needed pop of life to your space. Use the terrarium and other indoor plants to freshen the air and add beauty to your indoor environment.

Get outside and move: Having a desk job where you are sitting for extended hours will put extra pressure on your hips and lower back. Beyond having adequate sitting support and keeping your feet flat on the floor, make sure you are still making time to get outside. Our bodies are built for movement – on nice days, take your break outdoors: take a brisk walk around your building, or recharge with a book to give your eyes a short break from looking at the computer screens. Not only does getting outside for a break give you a burst of needed fresh air and sunshine, but it also gives you a burst of renewed energy excellent for deep focus work.

Build your zone of relaxation: Does your office have a lawn that is unused? Get some coworkers together and build your own outdoor zen garden that will be perfect for relaxing for breaks after meetings. Be sure to plant Japanese maples, a mix of evergreens, and an assortment of ferns like the Christmas fern to create a much needed moment of peace and quiet. This zen garden - having plenty of soft green foliage in many shades of green - will give your eyes a place to settle, and help you relax. But don’t just stop at picking plants to enjoy. You can create a true atmosphere of tranquility with Japanese lanterns, artfully placed moss and multiple sizes of rocks, and Adirondack style chairs. After enjoying your new space, you will return to your office recharged and invigorated, ready to overcome whatever the workday may throw at you.

Grow your own fresh lunches: Build raised beds, lay down soil mixed with compost, and plant plenty of vegetables and herbs for the perfect office salad garden. Sow a mix of different lettuce seeds, radishes, and grow tomatoes and peppers. Here’s a bonus of planting your office raised beds: a flourishing garden means that whatever fresh food is extra at the end of the week can be distributed to local food pantries or taken home by other employees. What a win-win!

But let’s wait just a moment, are you worried about the care of the garden? Do not fret. Simply be sure to set up a watering and weeding schedule with other staff members interested in setting up the garden. Small amounts of time each day will build into high impact and ensure no one person feels as though they have the bulk of the maintenance.

Make a new work friend: Are you looking for a fresh idea for company bonding, and tired of the same old routine? I’ve got a great idea for you: use your next company bonding time to pot up some annual plants or perennial plants to make a company garden, or volunteer as a group at your local botanical garden. Botanical gardens, parks, and arboretums are always looking for volunteers to help weed, transplant, water, and plant in their garden beds and containers – and your help will be most welcomed in their plentiful flower filled gardens.

Green Therapy from Your Office

If I haven’t convinced you yet, just give it a try and make time to create and cultivate a garden for your office building: the personal, physical and therapeutic rewards are incomparable, and will give a whole new reason to enjoy going to your workplace.

Making the time to do any of the above activities will not only help you recharge and heal from stressful situations, but it is sure to bring renewed interest to your office space. So go forth with your new knowledge of how plants can help humans! Draw out your plan, go shopping, and get busy planting! Enjoy your new zone of tranquility or reap the rewards of your edible garden! And let us know if we inspired you to grow a workplace garden.