How to Choose Sensory Plants for Raised Planters (While Avoiding Costly Eye Candy)

How to Choose Sensory Plants for Raised Planters (While Avoiding Costly Eye Candy)

April 17, 2018

When shopping at a garden centre, it’s easy to be seduced and overwhelmed by delectable eye candy. So here are a few guidelines for wisely choosing sensory plant varieties for raised planters. You’ll offer your garden visitors a wide range of sensory experiences, make the most of your money and time and avoid costly mistakes (aka invasive plants).

Read More

10 Strategies for Encouraging Independent Garden Activities

10 Strategies for Encouraging Independent Garden Activities

April 16, 2018

Leverage your time with these strategies, so that more people engage with your garden and experience nature's benefits. Create opportunities, get the word out, and involve people in a variety of ways. Which strategies will you add to your garden program?

Read More

Not an Expert Gardener? Eight Nature-Based Programs You Can Easily Facilitate

Not an Expert Gardener? Eight Nature-Based Programs You Can Easily Facilitate

March 14, 2018

You don’t need to be a gardener or naturalist to facilitate therapeutic garden and nature programs. A sense of curiosity and willingness to follow your participants’ lead are essential in offering these 8 simple, effective nature-based programs.

Read More


Noticing Nearby Nature: An Underestimated Mental Health Strategy

Noticing Nearby Nature: An Underestimated Mental Health Strategy

February 19, 2018

Noticing nature in your daily life can increase your happiness and well-being. It's easy to underestimate how much better you'll feel!

This article was published in the winter/spring 2018 edition of Psychologica, the OACCPP Magazine: Putting Research to Practice.

Read More

10 Engaging Garden Signs (article)

10 Signs to Engage your Garden Visitors

January 27, 2018

Signage seems to be a fairly undeveloped strategy for encouraging engagement in therapeutic gardens and school gardens. My theory is that more garden engagement generally means more therapeutic benefit.

This article was published in the winter edition of Growth Point, Thrive's newsletter.

Read More

Danny's Orchid Therapy

Danny's Orchid Therapy

January 22, 2018

Having an orchid to care for and call his own turned the daily struggle of showing up for outpatient psychiatric treatment into eager anticipation. This heartwarming story illustrates that bonding with a plant can be therapeutic, transforming a child’s attitude and behaviour and supporting his mental health.

Read More


Garden Signs: Make Them or Buy Them?

Garden Signs: Make Them or Buy Them?

January 16, 2018

Making garden signs provides lots of benefits and more than a few obstacles. My story will help you make an informed decision: make garden signs or buy them?

Read More

Keeping it Simple: Sensory-based Garden Programming

Keeping it Simple: Sensory-based Garden Programming

December 19, 2017

As therapeutic activity leaders, our goal is to provide opportunities for people to feel more alive and to live more fully. I found there are more benefits to be had with less materials and more social interactions that encourage curiosity, story-telling and sensory engagement.

Read More

7 Ways to Warm Up a Cold Wintry Day

7 Ways to Warm Up a Cold Wintry Day

December 16, 2017

Ever notice that when your attention is caught by something interesting, you stop feeling cold and uncomfortable? Well, here are seven garden activity signs to grab people’s attention and brighten up their wintry day.

Read More


Garden Activity Signs have all arrived!

Garden Activity Signs have all arrived!

November 22, 2017

You could be one of the first to get these unique garden programming tools. Garden Activity Signs are available now! These signs will bring your garden alive with activity and conversation, even when you’re not in the garden. 

Read More

Royal Printers

Print Without Forests: A Royal Deal!

November 22, 2017

The instruction booklet is printed on Sugar Sheet, a forest-free paper that costs, performs, and recycles like traditional paper.

Read More

I'm so excited!!

I'm so excited!!

September 05, 2017

Welcome to my brand spanking new store! I'm so excited to introduce the garden activity signs to you! They were enthusiastically received by my garden program participants, so I brought them to market to share them with you.

Read More