A Therapist’s Garden

Using Plants to Revitalize Your Spirit

by Erik Keller

The Zen of mixing mud with seniors; crafting surprising salads out of weeds; and a hidden rabbit bringing joy to girls in a juvenile detention center. These are a few of the nearly 100 stories that Erik Keller takes readers on through a journey of how interacting with plants and nature can help heal mental, emotional, and physical trauma. Through the lens of January to December, in a New England landscape, discover how horticultural therapy improves the lives of those in pain including special-needs children, cancer patients, and disabled seniors.

Though A Therapist’s Garden primarily deals with the emotional and physical benefits of nature-based interactions, it also provides an array of practical gardening advice and tips through client stories as well as monthly outings and crafts that will surprise and delight readers.

REVIEW

4 out of 5

This was an interesting book, and I enjoyed the stories and gardening advice it contained. It was broken down by months, and I liked seeing how the garden changed and evolved with each season. It didn’t flow very smoothly, but the descriptions are vivid enough that you can see each scene unfold before you. Overall, an interesting read that is part memoir of sorts and part gardening advice.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erik Keller is a horticultural therapist and master gardener with 20-plus years of experience who has helped over 1,000 clients of all ages cope with physical, emotional, and mental challenges. He currently manages the gardens and horticultural therapy program at Ann’s Place, Danbury, CT, an organization that assists cancer patients and their families. He is also a Conservation Commissioner in the town of Ridgefield, CT. His writings can be found on his website, www.grohappy.com as well as Instagram and Facebook.