Restorative Gardens
“Restorative gardens in various forms (meditation, contemplation, sanctuary, memory gardens, and labyrinths) are designed to address cognitive, emotional, and/or psychological aspects of mental health (Diehl, 2013) and promote the feeling of being away, fascination, and compatibility, which Kaplan identifies as key components of mental restoration (1995)” (Fleming, 2021). Contemplative landscapes & tools to measure these have emerged, bringing greater understanding to this topic.
Restorative gardens include meditation, contemplative, sanctuary, memory and sensory gardens, labyrinths, cemeteries, war cenotaphs, quiet garden movement, and peace parks.
Restorative gardens include meditation, contemplative, sanctuary, memory and sensory gardens, labyrinths, cemeteries, war cenotaphs, quiet garden movement, and peace parks.
> Key Organizations
> Books, journals & E-publications on therapeutic gardens
Ali, S.H. (2007). Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution. The MIT Press.
Burt, Virginia. (2021). Virginia Burt designs healing gardens
Carman, J. (2021). Design for generations.
Gerlach-Spriggs, N., Kaufman, R. & Warner, S.B. (1998). Restorative Gardens. Yale University Press.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge
University Press.
Kavasch, E.B. (2002). The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and
Tranquility. Bantam Books.
Mosko, M.H. (2003). Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden. Weatherhill.
Tidball, K.G. & Krasny, M.E. (Eds.). (2011). Greening in the Red Zone: Disaster, Resilience and Community
Greening. Springer.
Stuart-Smith, S. (2021). The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature. Simon and
Schuster.
Burt, Virginia. (2021). Virginia Burt designs healing gardens
Carman, J. (2021). Design for generations.
Gerlach-Spriggs, N., Kaufman, R. & Warner, S.B. (1998). Restorative Gardens. Yale University Press.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge
University Press.
Kavasch, E.B. (2002). The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and
Tranquility. Bantam Books.
Mosko, M.H. (2003). Landscape as Spirit: Creating a Contemplative Garden. Weatherhill.
Tidball, K.G. & Krasny, M.E. (Eds.). (2011). Greening in the Red Zone: Disaster, Resilience and Community
Greening. Springer.
Stuart-Smith, S. (2021). The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature. Simon and
Schuster.
> RESEARCH & ARTICLES ON restorative GARDENS
Berg, M., Wenel-Vos, W., van Poppel, M., Kemper, H., van Mechelen, W. & Maas, J. (2015). Health benefits of green spaces in the living environment: A systematic review of epidemiological studies. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 806-816.
Biglin, J. (2020). Embodied and sensory experiences of therapeutic space: Refugee place-making within an urban allotment. Health Place, 62, 102309. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102309
Boffi, M., Pola, L.G., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Inghilleri, P., Piga, B.E.A, Stancato, G. & Fumagalli, N. (2022). Visual post-occupancy evaluation of a restorative garden using virtual reality photography: Restoration, emotions, and behavior in older and younger people. Front Psychol., 13, 927688. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927688
Butterfield, A. & Martin, D. (2016). Affective sanctuaries: Understanding Maggie’s as therapeutic landscapes. Landscape Research, 41(6), 695-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2016.1197386
Carrus, G., Scopelliti, M., Panno, A., Lafortezza, R., Colangelo, G., Pirchio, S., et al. (2017). A different way to stay in touch with “Urban Nature”: The perceived restorative qualities of botanical gardens. Front. Psychol., 8, 914. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00914
Chang, W. (2022). Taiwan unveils world’s first ‘certified quiet hiking trail’. CNN.com.
Conniff, A. & Craig, T. (2016). A methodological approach to understanding the wellbeing andrestorative benefits associated with greenspace. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 19, 103–09. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.06.019
Cordoza, M., Ulrich, R.S., Manulik, B.J., Gardiner, S.K., Fitzpatrick, P.S., Hazen, T.M., Mirka, A. & Perkins, R.S. (2018). Impact of nurses taking daily work breaks in a hospital garden on burnout. Am J Crit Care, 27(6), 508-512. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2018131
Dahlkvist, E., Engström, M. & Nilsson, A. (2020). Residents' use and perceptions of residential care facility gardens: A behaviour mapping and conversation study. Int J Older People Nurs.,15(1), e12283. doi: 10.1111/opn.12283
Diehl, L. (2013). A framework for categorizing healing gardens. AHTA News Magazine, 41(2), 4-6.
Doherty, R. (2020). How to design a restorative garden to lift your spirits. Homes & Gardens.
Engemann, K., Pedersen, C.B., Arge, L., Tsirogiannis, C., Mortensen, P.B. & Svenning, J.C. (2019). Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 116(11), 5188-5193. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1807504116
Erickson, M.S. (2012). Restorative garden design: Enhancing wellness through healing spaces. Iowa State University.
Fleming, L & Figueiredo, M. (2013). Healing gardens for cancer populations. AHTA News Magazine, 41(1), 12-13.
Fleming, L. (2021). Horticulture for Health Framework. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: the Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development
Forkner, L.E. (2021). Bloedel Reserve helps Strolls for Well-Bring participants discover the healing power of nature closer to home. Seattle Times.
Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Boffi, M., Pola, L. & Inghilleri, P. (2020). Sustainable co-design with older people: The case of a public restorative garden in Milan (Italy). Sustainability, 12(8), 3166.
Goldstein, E., Topitzes, J., Brown, RL. & Barrett, B. (2018). Meditational pathways of meditation and exercise on mental health and perceived stress: a randomized controlled trial. J Health Psychol., 25, 1816–30. 10.1177/1359105318772608
Hussein, H., Abidin, N.M.N.Z. & Omar, Z. (2016). Sensory gardens: A multidisciplinary effort. Asian Journal of Behavioural Studies, 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v1i1.18
Hussein, H. (2020). Design of sensory gardens for children with disabilities in the context of the United Kingdom. In M. Khan, S. Bell & J. Woods (Eds.), Place, Pedogogy and Play: Participation, Design and Research with Children. Routledge.
Kaiser Permanente. (2020). Forest bathing: What it is and why you should try it. Kaiser Permanente Thrive.
Lange, A. (2016). Playground - how a Dutch architect is reinventing the park [Govenors Island]. The New Yorker.
Lazarevic, E.V., Lazarevic, T. & Maric, J. (2020). The restorative effects of multi-sensory open space design – The example of Japanese gardens. 7th International Academic Conference. Places and Technologies 2020. doi: 10.18485/arh_pt.2020.7.ch18
Liao, M. L., Ou, S. J., Heng Hsieh, C., Li, Z., & Ko, C. C. (2020). Effects of garden visits on people with dementia: A pilot study. Dementia, 19(4), 1009-1028.
Meyer, W. (2007). Persistence of memory: Scent gardens for therapeutic life review in communities for the elderly. Thesis for Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Olszewska-Guizzo, A., Fogel, A., Escoffier, N., Sia, A., Nakazawa, K, Kumagai, A., Dan, I. & Ho, R. (2022). Therapeutic garden with contemplative features induces desirable changes in mood and brain activity in depressed adults. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.757056
Olszewska, A., Paulo F Marques, PF., Robert L Ryan, RL. & Barbosa, F. (2018). What makes a landscape contemplative? Environment and Planning, 45(1), 7-25.
Perry, S. (2007). The importance of nature: The Wellness Garden Program at Glacier Hills Retirement Community. Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Newsletter Spring:4-7.
RHS Digital Content Team. (2019). Wellbeing gardens take shape at Wisley. RHS.org.uk.
Souter-Brown, G., Hinckson, E. & Duncan, S. (2021). Effects of a sensory garden on workplace wellbeing: A randomised control trial. Landscape and Urban Planning, 207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103997.
Spring, J.A. (2016). Design of evidence-based gardens and garden therapy for neurodisability in Scandinavia: Data from 14 sites. Neurodegener Dis Manag, 6(2), 87-98. doi: 10.2217/nmt.16.2
Therapeutic Garden Network. (2021). Quiet garden movement.
Twedt, E., Rainey, R.M. & Proffitt, D.R. (2016). Designed natural spaces: Informal gardens are perceived to be more restorative than formal gardens. Front Psychol., 11(7), 88. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00088
Wagenfeld, A. & Singley, K. (2016). Sensory gardens. The Field.
Xie, J., Luo, S., Furuya, K., Kagawa, T. & Yang, M. (2022). A preferred road to mental restoration in the Chinese classical garden. Sustainability, 14(8), 4422. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14084422
Yanru, H., Masoudi, M., Chadala, A. & Olszewska-Guizzo, A. (2020). Visual quality assessment of urban scenes with the contemplative landscape model: Evidence from a compact city downtown core. Remote Sensing, 12, 3517. doi: 10.3390/rs12213517
Young, C., Hofmann, M., Frey, D., Moretti, M. & Bauer, N. (2020). Psychological restoration in urban gardens related to garden type, biodiversity and garden-related stress. Landscape and Urban Planning, 198, 103777.
Biglin, J. (2020). Embodied and sensory experiences of therapeutic space: Refugee place-making within an urban allotment. Health Place, 62, 102309. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102309
Boffi, M., Pola, L.G., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Inghilleri, P., Piga, B.E.A, Stancato, G. & Fumagalli, N. (2022). Visual post-occupancy evaluation of a restorative garden using virtual reality photography: Restoration, emotions, and behavior in older and younger people. Front Psychol., 13, 927688. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927688
Butterfield, A. & Martin, D. (2016). Affective sanctuaries: Understanding Maggie’s as therapeutic landscapes. Landscape Research, 41(6), 695-70. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2016.1197386
Carrus, G., Scopelliti, M., Panno, A., Lafortezza, R., Colangelo, G., Pirchio, S., et al. (2017). A different way to stay in touch with “Urban Nature”: The perceived restorative qualities of botanical gardens. Front. Psychol., 8, 914. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00914
Chang, W. (2022). Taiwan unveils world’s first ‘certified quiet hiking trail’. CNN.com.
Conniff, A. & Craig, T. (2016). A methodological approach to understanding the wellbeing andrestorative benefits associated with greenspace. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 19, 103–09. doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.06.019
Cordoza, M., Ulrich, R.S., Manulik, B.J., Gardiner, S.K., Fitzpatrick, P.S., Hazen, T.M., Mirka, A. & Perkins, R.S. (2018). Impact of nurses taking daily work breaks in a hospital garden on burnout. Am J Crit Care, 27(6), 508-512. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2018131
Dahlkvist, E., Engström, M. & Nilsson, A. (2020). Residents' use and perceptions of residential care facility gardens: A behaviour mapping and conversation study. Int J Older People Nurs.,15(1), e12283. doi: 10.1111/opn.12283
Diehl, L. (2013). A framework for categorizing healing gardens. AHTA News Magazine, 41(2), 4-6.
Doherty, R. (2020). How to design a restorative garden to lift your spirits. Homes & Gardens.
Engemann, K., Pedersen, C.B., Arge, L., Tsirogiannis, C., Mortensen, P.B. & Svenning, J.C. (2019). Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 116(11), 5188-5193. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1807504116
Erickson, M.S. (2012). Restorative garden design: Enhancing wellness through healing spaces. Iowa State University.
Fleming, L & Figueiredo, M. (2013). Healing gardens for cancer populations. AHTA News Magazine, 41(1), 12-13.
Fleming, L. (2021). Horticulture for Health Framework. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1330: XV International People Plant Symposium and II International Symposium on Horticultural Therapies: the Role of Horticulture in Human Well-being and Social Development
Forkner, L.E. (2021). Bloedel Reserve helps Strolls for Well-Bring participants discover the healing power of nature closer to home. Seattle Times.
Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Boffi, M., Pola, L. & Inghilleri, P. (2020). Sustainable co-design with older people: The case of a public restorative garden in Milan (Italy). Sustainability, 12(8), 3166.
Goldstein, E., Topitzes, J., Brown, RL. & Barrett, B. (2018). Meditational pathways of meditation and exercise on mental health and perceived stress: a randomized controlled trial. J Health Psychol., 25, 1816–30. 10.1177/1359105318772608
Hussein, H., Abidin, N.M.N.Z. & Omar, Z. (2016). Sensory gardens: A multidisciplinary effort. Asian Journal of Behavioural Studies, 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v1i1.18
Hussein, H. (2020). Design of sensory gardens for children with disabilities in the context of the United Kingdom. In M. Khan, S. Bell & J. Woods (Eds.), Place, Pedogogy and Play: Participation, Design and Research with Children. Routledge.
Kaiser Permanente. (2020). Forest bathing: What it is and why you should try it. Kaiser Permanente Thrive.
Lange, A. (2016). Playground - how a Dutch architect is reinventing the park [Govenors Island]. The New Yorker.
Lazarevic, E.V., Lazarevic, T. & Maric, J. (2020). The restorative effects of multi-sensory open space design – The example of Japanese gardens. 7th International Academic Conference. Places and Technologies 2020. doi: 10.18485/arh_pt.2020.7.ch18
Liao, M. L., Ou, S. J., Heng Hsieh, C., Li, Z., & Ko, C. C. (2020). Effects of garden visits on people with dementia: A pilot study. Dementia, 19(4), 1009-1028.
Meyer, W. (2007). Persistence of memory: Scent gardens for therapeutic life review in communities for the elderly. Thesis for Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Olszewska-Guizzo, A., Fogel, A., Escoffier, N., Sia, A., Nakazawa, K, Kumagai, A., Dan, I. & Ho, R. (2022). Therapeutic garden with contemplative features induces desirable changes in mood and brain activity in depressed adults. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.757056
Olszewska, A., Paulo F Marques, PF., Robert L Ryan, RL. & Barbosa, F. (2018). What makes a landscape contemplative? Environment and Planning, 45(1), 7-25.
Perry, S. (2007). The importance of nature: The Wellness Garden Program at Glacier Hills Retirement Community. Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Newsletter Spring:4-7.
RHS Digital Content Team. (2019). Wellbeing gardens take shape at Wisley. RHS.org.uk.
Souter-Brown, G., Hinckson, E. & Duncan, S. (2021). Effects of a sensory garden on workplace wellbeing: A randomised control trial. Landscape and Urban Planning, 207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103997.
Spring, J.A. (2016). Design of evidence-based gardens and garden therapy for neurodisability in Scandinavia: Data from 14 sites. Neurodegener Dis Manag, 6(2), 87-98. doi: 10.2217/nmt.16.2
Therapeutic Garden Network. (2021). Quiet garden movement.
Twedt, E., Rainey, R.M. & Proffitt, D.R. (2016). Designed natural spaces: Informal gardens are perceived to be more restorative than formal gardens. Front Psychol., 11(7), 88. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00088
Wagenfeld, A. & Singley, K. (2016). Sensory gardens. The Field.
Xie, J., Luo, S., Furuya, K., Kagawa, T. & Yang, M. (2022). A preferred road to mental restoration in the Chinese classical garden. Sustainability, 14(8), 4422. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14084422
Yanru, H., Masoudi, M., Chadala, A. & Olszewska-Guizzo, A. (2020). Visual quality assessment of urban scenes with the contemplative landscape model: Evidence from a compact city downtown core. Remote Sensing, 12, 3517. doi: 10.3390/rs12213517
Young, C., Hofmann, M., Frey, D., Moretti, M. & Bauer, N. (2020). Psychological restoration in urban gardens related to garden type, biodiversity and garden-related stress. Landscape and Urban Planning, 198, 103777.
> Examples of restorative gardens
AIDS Memorial Grove San Francisco memorializes those who died of the disease in a nature-inspired setting.
Angel’s Garden at Virtua Hospital – Vorhees, NJ is an outdoor sanctuary garden for parents who have lost a baby, a place to honor their short lives.
Benaroya Hall Garden of Remembrance Seattle is a memorial to 8,000+ Washington citizens who gave their lives in service of the U.S. since 1941 with reflecting pools & walls of granite.
Bloedel Reserve at Bainbridge Island, Washington, Strolls for Well-Being program.
Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Children’s Memorial Parks in Tucson Arizona has several sites where engraved names of children appear on granite walls at Children’s Memorial Park, & on metal walls of the Children’s Memorial Garden in Michael Perry Park in Spanish & English.
Elizabeth & Nona Evans Restorative Garden at Cleveland Botanical Garden promotes connections to nature, programming, and enabling features.
Fine Family Contemplation Garden at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore MD. labyrinth uses tall hedges in support of privacy, noise reduction.
Joplin MO city’s butterfly garden and park mark the place where homes were destroyed by a tornado as a restorative green space.
Juravinski Cancer Centre indoor garden, embedded in a chemotherapy suite, provides garden views within the treatment facility with a 18,000 lb. boulder as a symbol of strength.
Lighthouse Shelter Sacred Place garden in Annapolis, MD provides a sense of security & shield from the adjacent road using decorated screens.
Mercy Hospital South, St. Louis MO healing restorative garden was designed with nature’s colors.
Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon.
Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Care Center in Wilkesboro, NC memory care garden.
Schneider Healing Garden adjacent to Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland Ohio offers respite from treatment, city noise, the hospital setting, and includes labyrinth, seating areas & night lighting.
The Gift of Life Family House is used by transplant patients & their families, part of temporary lodging & supportive services.
The Tranquility Garden at McAuley Convent in Merion, PA provides a spiritual setting for elders & families as part of the retirement community for Sisters of Mercy.
The Itabashi Japanese Garden in Burlington, Canada embodies commitment to mundialization (act of local authority declaring itself a world citizen, aware of global issues, sense of shared rights & responsibility), embodying cultural, recreational, social & spiritual goals.
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden, NJ has a meditation garden for patients & families.
Western Correctional Institute’s garden with an area called Well of Unspoken Truths provides for restorative space for personal reflection in Cumberland, MD.
Angel’s Garden at Virtua Hospital – Vorhees, NJ is an outdoor sanctuary garden for parents who have lost a baby, a place to honor their short lives.
Benaroya Hall Garden of Remembrance Seattle is a memorial to 8,000+ Washington citizens who gave their lives in service of the U.S. since 1941 with reflecting pools & walls of granite.
Bloedel Reserve at Bainbridge Island, Washington, Strolls for Well-Being program.
Chanticleer, A Pleasure Garden, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
Children’s Memorial Parks in Tucson Arizona has several sites where engraved names of children appear on granite walls at Children’s Memorial Park, & on metal walls of the Children’s Memorial Garden in Michael Perry Park in Spanish & English.
Elizabeth & Nona Evans Restorative Garden at Cleveland Botanical Garden promotes connections to nature, programming, and enabling features.
Fine Family Contemplation Garden at Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore MD. labyrinth uses tall hedges in support of privacy, noise reduction.
Joplin MO city’s butterfly garden and park mark the place where homes were destroyed by a tornado as a restorative green space.
Juravinski Cancer Centre indoor garden, embedded in a chemotherapy suite, provides garden views within the treatment facility with a 18,000 lb. boulder as a symbol of strength.
Lighthouse Shelter Sacred Place garden in Annapolis, MD provides a sense of security & shield from the adjacent road using decorated screens.
Mercy Hospital South, St. Louis MO healing restorative garden was designed with nature’s colors.
Portland Japanese Garden in Oregon.
Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Health Care Center in Wilkesboro, NC memory care garden.
Schneider Healing Garden adjacent to Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland Ohio offers respite from treatment, city noise, the hospital setting, and includes labyrinth, seating areas & night lighting.
The Gift of Life Family House is used by transplant patients & their families, part of temporary lodging & supportive services.
The Tranquility Garden at McAuley Convent in Merion, PA provides a spiritual setting for elders & families as part of the retirement community for Sisters of Mercy.
The Itabashi Japanese Garden in Burlington, Canada embodies commitment to mundialization (act of local authority declaring itself a world citizen, aware of global issues, sense of shared rights & responsibility), embodying cultural, recreational, social & spiritual goals.
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden, NJ has a meditation garden for patients & families.
Western Correctional Institute’s garden with an area called Well of Unspoken Truths provides for restorative space for personal reflection in Cumberland, MD.
> Videos, webinars & websites on restorative garden
Healing Garden at Edward Hospital in Chicago, IL, is an example of healthcare gardens connecting with nature for use by all stakeholders
Nature Rx, humorous ad-spoof video series on the restorative benefits of engaging with nature.
Peace in the Park video examines the role parks & nature can play in health care of palliative care patients in a joint project with Mount Royal University, University of Alberta & Alberta Parks.
Portland Japanese Garden blog. (2020). A garden’s power to heal.
The Labyrinth- Community Cancer Center in Normal, IL.
Therapeutic and Healing Landscape Architecture, from landscape designer J. Craven, offers insights into design, history & characteristics of healing gardens.
The Powerful Prescription of Nature by Kaiser Permanente
Walter Reed Sensory Garden at Arlington County's Walter Reed Community Center: Arlington, Virginia.
Nature Rx, humorous ad-spoof video series on the restorative benefits of engaging with nature.
Peace in the Park video examines the role parks & nature can play in health care of palliative care patients in a joint project with Mount Royal University, University of Alberta & Alberta Parks.
Portland Japanese Garden blog. (2020). A garden’s power to heal.
The Labyrinth- Community Cancer Center in Normal, IL.
Therapeutic and Healing Landscape Architecture, from landscape designer J. Craven, offers insights into design, history & characteristics of healing gardens.
The Powerful Prescription of Nature by Kaiser Permanente
Walter Reed Sensory Garden at Arlington County's Walter Reed Community Center: Arlington, Virginia.
> Related organizations
FLHHN would like to acknowledge content from naturesacred.org.
Written & compiled by Lesley Fleming, Susan Morgan Nov 2021; revised in 2023 by Leah Diehl, Lesley Fleming, Bree Stark
Written & compiled by Lesley Fleming, Susan Morgan Nov 2021; revised in 2023 by Leah Diehl, Lesley Fleming, Bree Stark