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

Medical Rehabilitation

Combining medical practice with therapeutic rehabilitation, the inpatient medical rehab program supports patients with a wide range of acute or chronic conditions that cause temporary or permanent disability. Our goal is always to help patients regain as much independence as possible.

Neurological Rehab

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital offers an extensive, progressive neurologic outpatient rehabilitation program for patients who may be able to function on their own, but wish to function even better.

Equestrian Therapy

Equine-assisted therapy provides physical as well as cognitive benefits for a person’s recovery. As the horse walks, the repetitive swinging motion helps to improve the person’s balance, coordination and strength and muscle tone through the trunk and legs. Cognitive skills improve because riding requires balance, stability, timing and planning.

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.

Brain Injury Rehab

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital was one of the first facilities in the country to offer traumatic and nontraumatic inpatient brain injury rehab as well as outpatient brain injury rehab and has remained one of the best rehabilitation hospitals for brain injury treatment in the Philadelphia region for more than 30 years.

Orthopaedic Rehabilitation

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.

Speech Therapy

Our multidisciplinary approach to inpatient and outpatient speech therapy rehab includes expert diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders led by master’s-level, licensed and certified speech pathologists.

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.