Cultivating Hope - Happy Horticultural Therapy

03/11/2026

My client has repurposed a w**e cooler stand / ice bucket for her strawberries and blueberry plants.
Creative reuse of someone else’s unwanted item is a great idea.
You just have to have the vision.
It’s just the right height for watering, maintaining and picking. 🍃✌🏽

02/11/2026

Telopea waratahs looking fabulous in the Blue Mountains National Park.
Food for eastern pigmy possums & honeyeaters, enjoyed by me. 🍃✌🏽

31/10/2026

It’s healthy to have a giggle & engage your inner child. ✌🏽🍃

30/10/2026

A stunning day for a catch up with friends, a walk, appreciation of the ocean and all that Mother Nature provides.
Oh and the creativity of the Sculptures by the Sea works got us talking & thinking.
Sculpture & artwork are a great way to open up conversation for people who are not naturally confident conservationists.
Open questions help.
“What do you think of this sculpture?”
“How does this make you feel?”
“What is this?”
“What do you think the artist is saying here?”
A good venue for a friendly gathering. 🍃✌🏽

28/10/2026

It’s always a thrill when you pick the “firsts” of the season from a plant.
Visions of a bumper crop …. hopes of a healthy future harvest.
When you sow or plant at the end of winter, that joy seems to come around quickly.
It’s all in the planning.
Zucchini is rich in vitamins A and C, fiber, potassium, and antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which may support eye, digestive, and heart health.
The high fibre and water content in zucchini may help support healthy digestion even stabilise blood sugar levels.
A healthy ‘lil package.
Now, what to do with one lonely zucchini? 🍃✌🏽

27/10/2026

My therapeutic horticulture activities are always tailored to my clients interests and goals.
Sometimes the goal is to grow a food garden & sometimes a client dreams of a garden bed full of flowers to attract birds.
Sometimes the client wants to create whimsy & sometimes a clients goal is learn how to to propagate or sow seeds.
Whatever the goal, activities are person centred …. always.
Therapeutic horticulture activities create opportunities for meaningful inclusion, connection, often collaboration, physical & mental wellbeing.
On a recent nature walk, we happened to find several dropped banksia heads.
My client quickly gathered them up and her creativity flowed.
What may look like a simple little piece was actually a real work out for her fine motor and executive functioning skills (skills that are required for planning, implementing, focussing, problem solving & multitasking).
The end result is always cool to see but the process of getting there is the therapy.
Who said therapy can’t be fun. 🍃✌🏽

24/10/2026

16/10/2026

There is something special about these snow peas … special powers in fact.
Yesterday these snow peas held the key to motivation and inspiration.
I arrived at my clients home on a bleak, drizzling morning.
She was not feeling inclined to do or go anywhere given the weather.
But, these humble snow peas were the very impetus she needed to get outdoors.
Sometimes you can find inspiration in the most unlikely way.
Once back inside, she found a recipe that required her fresh snow peas.
Wella. Tandoori lamb cutlets with snow pea salad.
Well done lil’ snow peas … well done. ✌🏽🍃