About Plants and People
Whether it is called people/plant interactions, sociohorticulture, or one of the many other names that have been given to it, human issues in horticulture deal with plants and the way that they affect people.
We all can sense that we feel better when we are surrounded by greenery, working in a garden, or taking a walk through nature; there is much anecdotal evidence that plants affect people in many positive ways. Some research has been conducted that supports this as well, and research in this area is growing.
If you would like to learn more about professional organizations in Horticulture, please visit one of the following websites.
American Society of Horticultural Sciences
American Horticultural Society
American Horticultural Therapy Association
If you would like more information about gardening with your children, please visit one of the following web-sites
AHS Youth Gardening
KinderGARDEN
Composting with Kids
Discovery Gardens
Junior Master Gardeners
Nutrition in the Garden
If you would like more information about Horticulture Therapy please visit one of the following.
Peta LTD (adaptive tools)
Chicago Botanic Garden Horticultural Therapy
City Farmer Horticultural Therapy
The Growing Center
Human Issues in Horticulture
If you would like to learn more about research being done in this area, the following web-sites will take you to abstracts of studies that have been performed.
Gardening and dietary habits among youth garden program participants
Exploring parental concerns about children’s safety
Human health and the natural environment
Stress and park use in older adults
Botanic gardens and stress reduction
Contact with livestock and allergies and asthma
Parental and children behaviors and the health status of preschool children
Nature as a buffer of stress among rural children
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and nature
Outdoor exercise and vitiman D in the obese