Horticultural Therapy Center

A horticulture therapist helps patients reconnect to nature’s pace and beauty

Getting well doesn’t just happen from a hospital bed or inside a gym. Sometimes, letting patients get back to nature is the key to physical and psychological recovery. At Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, we offer horticultural therapy, an innovative treatment that uses plants and plant-related activities to assist people with disabilities or traumatic injuries who are recovering at Bryn Mawr Rehab. Patients benefit from working with a horticulture therapist who takes a creative approach to rehabilitation, providing a change of pace and scenery to aid in recovery.

Person joyfully at work watering some of the plants found in the Sydney Thayer III Horticultural Center at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital

Horticulture therapy program stimulates meaningful activity and engagement

The Sydney Thayer III Horticultural Center at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital is a state-of-the-art facility with cathedral ceilings, skylights and a large greenhouse that radiates peace and beauty. Working with a registered horticulture therapist you’ll enjoy activities like:

  • Starting seeds
  • Watering or repotting plantings
  • Working with fresh flowers
  • Arranging, drying and pressing flowers
  • Outdoor gardening (when weather permits)

Your therapy team will also include physical, occupational, recreational and speech therapists who will help you work toward your therapy goals while enjoying practical activities in a group setting or individually. Working with plants, you can improve mobility, coordination, balance, endurance, memory and socialization skills in a natural, therapeutic setting.

The horticulture therapy program benefits a wide range of people, from those managing a lifelong disability to those recovering from a serious injury. People of all ages can easily participate in greenhouse activities, naturally improving physical and social skills. Our specially designed greenhouse includes extra wide aisles and non-skid floors to accommodate those in wheelchairs. In horticultural therapy, patients share a meaningful activity with others in an effective, creative and flexible treatment platform.

Related specialties

Aquatic Therapy

Through the aquatic therapy program at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, warm water helps patients relax, enhances functional movement, and boosts confidence and ability.

Vestibular Therapy

At Bryn Mawr Rehab we help patients with chronic or acute dizziness and vertigo get back to active, normal living. With several outpatient locations in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, there’s sure to be a vestibular therapist near you.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy and sensory integration helps patients who’ve experienced a debilitative injury or illness return to activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing, eating, writing, shopping, toileting and driving.

Spinal Cord Rehab

Where you’ll receive innovative inpatient and outpatient spinal cord rehabilitation care at one of the country's most respected acute rehabilitation hospitals, and 92 percent of our inpatients reach their goals upon discharge and 83 percent of outpatients meet theirs.

Hand Therapy

A hand therapy specialist is well-versed in a variety of methods and works to develop a personalized regimen for the unique needs of every patient. Our patients come from all walks of life—from young athletes to long-term arthritis sufferers to accidental burn victims.

Orthopaedic Rehab

As one of the most extensive programs at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, our primary focus is to help patients build strength, mobility and endurance for a variety of orthopaedic conditions.

Assistive Technology Services

Disability and assistive technology combines technological invention with modern medicine, helping people with physical and cognitive disabilities acquire and use devices that help improve mobility and independence.

Driver Rehab

Independence is a major goal of every rehabilitation program. For over 30 years, the driver rehabilitation program at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital has offered a unique way for patients to return to this crucial aspect of their lives.