Suppose engaging in activities with plants for less than one hour once a week could reduce stress and stress hormone levels in troubled elementary school children. It would be utterly amazing. If so, such activities could become a key component in an educational environment to improve the well-being and academic…
Most of my past messages have addressed activities and events within the gardens, largely after the fact. In this quarterly newsletter, I will draw your attention to a very severe deficit in our programming that we hope to correct. Currently, the therapeutic horticulture program at Wilmot Gardens is devoid of…
In this issue of our quarterly newsletter, I am pleased to share with you some very exciting news. Arrangements have now been completed for the University of Florida to acquire approximately one-half of the original Gordy camellia collection located a short distance northwest of Ocala, Florida. Approximately 675 specimens will…
Our spring plant sale was a tremendous success and I have to credit that in large part to the outstanding work our many program groups contributed. Each of our therapeutic horticulture groups planted seeds, transplanted seedlings and plugs, watered and fertilized the crops, and…
Native Floridian Erin Alvarez comes from a multi-generational family of gardeners. She describes her relationship with nature as starting “at birth” and has been gardening with her family for as long as she can recall. “In gardening, my biggest inspiration would have to be my mom, no doubt, and her…
A newly published study in 2018 reported that horticultural therapy (HT) resulted in improvement of the psychopathological status of patients with chronic schizophrenia. A total of 28 schizophrenia patients were enrolled in the study. Participants were voluntarily assigned to either the control or the HT treatment group. The HT treatment consisted of…
Wilmot Gardens is pleased to announce that Peg Richardson will be joining the team as the first “Artist in Residence”. She has set up a modest studio space and gallery in the foyer of the Greenhouse at Wilmot Gardens, and her colorful watercolor paintings now grace the walls. Considering that…
A small study was conducted in Korea with 18 young adults consisting of nine women and nine men. The research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2017 revealed some rather extraordinary findings about what happened when study participants viewed twelve photographic images each taken…
During high school, in the hopes of qualifying for the Bright Futures scholarship program, Ray Odeh began looking for service opportunities in his local community of Sarasota, Florida. He volunteered at several locations before finding the right fit at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, a small, well-manicured garden with subtropical…
For many of us 2018 is off to a wet and very chilly start. As I glance across the gardens from the conference center this morning, freeze cloth dominates much of the landscape as we try to protect our most vulnerable plants. The blooms of the sasanqua camellias are fading,…
