Horticulture therapy enables people with disabilities to connect with horticulture while enriching lives and fostering independence.

Denver Botanic Gardens brings the gardens to you with our Winter Therapeutic Horticulture Program, offered November through March. This program, facilitated by our staff and/or trained volunteers, is a sensory, plant-based experience for populations with disabilities. Each program will be tailored to your needs and therapeutic goals. If you are not sure what option to choose, contact us and we will assist you in your decision.

Winter Green
Winter Green seeks to connect people with plants, to engage their senses and to provide social enrichment. Each Winter Green session includes a variety of plants that will be available to experience through the five senses plus an activity of your choice.

Available activities:

• Making a Topiary
  Learn and perform the steps to create a topiary frame, transplant an ivy plant and train the plant to the frame. This activity encourages fine motor skills and creative expression through hands-on work with plant, soil and topiary materials.
• Plant Propagation
  This activity is hands-on work with plants and soil materials. Participants learn to make stem cuttings from hardy houseplants to take home and enjoy. The activity develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination in a highly social setting.
• Pretty Pots
  Participants will decorate clay pots and transplant hardy houseplants or herbs. Experience your sense of touch and sight by working with soil and plant materials.
• Terrariums
  This activity creates a hands-on experience in creating an open or closed-air terrarium. Participants learn how to make a terrarium from hardy houseplants to take home and enjoy. The activity develops fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination in a highly social setting.

Cool Season Gardening
Have you ever wondered about having a garden at your facility? Whether you have a large garden space, containers or you need help creating one this program will take you from planning to planting. Experience a series of consecutive sessions that will prepare you for your spring garden. Each session will be a different activity. This program option is only available in a package of three sessions.

Dates and Times:

• Winter Green: Nov. 1, 2012 - Mar. 28, 2013; Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday between 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Cool Season Gardening: Mar. 5 - April 30;  Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday between 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Cost:

• Winter Green: $75 for for-profits, $50 for non-profits
• Cool Season Gardening:
  Three-Sessions: $150 for for-profits, $100 for non-profits

General Info:

• Programs are offered by reservation only.
• Payment is due upon booking.
• Cancellations made by the Gardens or by facilities, greater than one week prior to the program, will receive a full refund.
• Cancellations with less than one week notice (weather cancellations excepted) are not refundable. If cancellation is made by the Gardens, we’ll work with you to re-schedule your program.

To schedule a program for your group, fill out a Request Form and email or mail back to us, or call 720-865-3539.

Questions? Email us at tours@botanicgardens.org.

Would you like to volunteer with this program? Email us at vol@botanicgardens.org.

 We also have the Summer Therapeutic Horticulture Program, which is the summer version of the same program.