Gardens and plants have played a central role in the evolution and culture of humans. Plants provide people with the basic necessities of life such as oxygen, food, clothing, fuel, shelter and medicine. In addition, plants in nature refresh our minds, soothe our souls and restore our sense of well being. The relationship between plants and human wellness has been explored by scientists and poets since ancient times. The Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden has proven the benefits of that relationship for more than 40 years, and it provides an ideal setting for horticultural therapy.

Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden
The Enid A. Haupt Glass Garden opened in 1958 as an amenity to Rusk Institute - a place where patients, visitors and staff could enjoy the soothing, natural environment of plants, water, birds, and beauty as a retreat from the hospital atmosphere. Today the Glass Garden is a botanical garden consisting of a display and therapeutic conservatory, outdoor perennial gardens, and an awardwinning children’s PlayGarden. An oasis in the heart of New York City, it is open 365 days a year to the public and is fully wheelchair accessible.

Visit the Glass Garden Website

Horticultural Therapy at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine
In the mid-1970s, one of the nation’s first horticultural therapy programs began in the Glass Garden. Patients of all ages, from all of the Rusk Units, work with trained horticultural therapists on plant activities that help to rehabilitate physical, cognitive, social and emotional functioning to gain a sense of personal accomplishment, productivity, selfreliance and independence.

Patients are scheduled for one hour, five days a week, into the group horticulture sessions, which integrate children and adults. In the garden setting, they practice and reinforce gains made in other therapies while propagating plants, arranging flowers, and engaging in nature craft projects. Through the focus on the plants, the patients benefit from the garden environment and leave refreshed and renewed to continue their convalescence.

Specialty Horticulture Programs for other NYU patients include:

• Cardiac Rehabilitation centers around reinforcing healthy lifestyle activities including exercise, stress reduction, gardening, with a tour of the Conservatory and a planting activity.
• Pediatric Acute-Care Unit offers weekly planting programs to engage both the children and their families in stress-reducing, mood-enhancing activities.
• Children at Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders engage in hands-on horticulture activities as a respite from treatment.
• Epilepsy Unit Program offers activities to help decrease stress, isolation and improve mood through participation in a horticulture project. As the patients master new skills, they increase their confidence and self-esteem.
• Psychiatric Unit Program offers intergenerational hands-on group horticulture projects to engage patients, offer decisionmaking opportunities, stimulate socialization, and decrease anxiety and stress.
• The Rusk Preschool integrates nature classes into the curriculum to stimulate sensory, motor, cognitive and communication skills.