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Wordless Wednesday, 6/29/11 – June offering

Wild black raspberries. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Wild black raspberries. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Design & Health World Congress & Exhibition – Next month!

 

Rock Wall & Salt Marsh Panorama, photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com

Rock Wall & Salt Marsh Panorama. Photo by Henry Domke, www.henrydomke.com

Design & Health World Congress & Exhibition
International Academy for Design and Health
July 6 – 10, 2011, Boston, MA
The Marriott Copley Place

There’s still time to register for what looks like an excellent conference: www.designandhealth.com/Events/World-Congress. For the conference program, go to this page http://www.designandhealth.com/Events/Congress-Programme-Boston-2011.aspx and click on the picture in the top right-hand corner (the one that says “Final program & call for registration”).

The Congress is organized by the International Academy for Design & Health in partnership with The American Institute of Architects, Academy of Architecture for Health, and supported by major academic institutions and healthcare industries worldwide.

I was going to list which sessions I thought would be of interest to our members, but there are so many – best to just look at the program and see what sparks your interest.

The Design & Health World Congress is the centerpiece for the Academy’s education, research, advocacy and business & professional networking activities.

Delivered in partnership with the leading professional bodies, academic institutions, health providers and industry sponsors, the congress is an opportunity to engage with the world’s foremost interdisciplinary network of thought leaders, including architects, designers, psychologists, physicians, nurses, health planners, policy makers and other key decision makers.

The scientific committee said: “A salutogenic approach to environmental design is one of the most cost-effective and enduring methods of reducing illness and improving health. Central to understanding this approach is the development of a scientific research base, which illustrates and explores the relationship between human health and the environment and, even more vitally, creates a case for the rigorous application of this knowledge in professional practice…Our mission is to spread awareness of this important message and its value as a foundation for improving population health and well-being.”

Designing a Landscape for Color Blind People – Guest blog post by Genevieve Schmidt

Daylilies photo by Naomi Sachs

Can you see the summer daylilies? Photo by Naomi Sachs

This is the time of year when the orange daylilies bloom – bright orange sparks waving from slender green wands held above lush green foliage…that my father can’t see. Because he is color blind.

Last year, Genevieve Schmidt wrote a wonderful post, “Designing a Landscape for Color Blind People” for the Garden Designers Roundtable‘s forum on Therapy and Healing in the Garden (I wrote one called “Thoughts and Evidence on Therapy and Healing in the Garden.”)

Genevieve’s post was a big hit and got about a million comments. I’ve been thinking about it lately, last weekend being Father’s Day and all. I’m including a couple of images and the opening paragraphs to hook you in, and then linking to Genevieve’s original post for you to read on.

Designing a Landscape for Color Blind People: The Garden Designers Roundtable on Therapy and Healing

Garden Design for Color Blind People. Image courtesy of Genevieve Schmidt, North Coast Gardening.

Image courtesy of Genevieve Schmidt, North Coast Gardening

People who are color blind make up about 8% of men and .5% of women, and of those people, the vast majority aren’t actually color blind, it’s more that they see colors differently. Though we think of color blindness as seeing the world in black and white, the most common form of color blindness is where people have a weakness in the green receptors of their eyes. What would it be like to experience color that way?

Bob Davis, a dear client whose landscape I designed last year, described it by asking me to imagine a continuum of yellow, green and blue. Along that continuum, most of us see any number of subtle shades of yellow, yellow-green, green, green-blue, and blue. Bob sees yellow, green and blue, period. So all those gently contrasting greens rolling through the garden? It’s all pretty much the same color.

In addition, many tones of red actually appear green to him, making what might otherwise be a bold contrast of red flower against green foliage, well, kind of lackluster. Every spring, his wife Judy raves about the gorgeous red Camellia out back, but Bob just sees the same greenery he sees all year. He can make out the shapes of the flowers, but the color contrast of red against green is lost on him.

For us landscapers, color is the easy button for designing a garden. You come up with an awesome color combo, and even if your textural contrasts aren’t what they could be – eh, who’s gonna notice with all that splashy color? Those of us who can see the full color range notice color first. But for people who see limited numbers of colors, composition and contrast become key.

Bob was kind enough to give me some tips about what stands out most to him in a garden, what elements he sees most boldly and clearly, and which seem to be lacking to his eye.

To read the rest, link to Genevieve Schmidt’s North Coast Gardening blog’s original post, “Designing a Landscape for Color Blind People.

Thank you, Genevieve!

Vince Healy talk, “Sensory Engagement and ‘Sense of Place'”

Strolling Pond Garden photo by Laura Davidson, courtesy of the Portland Japanese Garden

Strolling Pond Garden photo by Laura Davidson, courtesy of the Portland Japanese Garden

Vince Healy will be speaking at the Portland Japanese Garden at the end of this month on “Healing Nature: Sensory Engagement and “Sense of Place.” He will be giving two talks, one for Health Care and Human Services Professionals (on 6/29) and one for members of the general public (on 6/30).

The restorative qualities of nature are evident perhaps nowhere more beautifully in Portland than in the tranquil setting of the Portland Japanese Garden. This year the Garden begins to explore its role as a vehicle of restorative therapies through a special evening seminar on “Healing Nature: Sensory Engagement and “Sense of Place” with noted expert Vince Healy, who will define “healing” and “restorative” gardens, and discuss the many ways in which multi-sensory experience in garden settings can benefit healing.

Mr. Healy holds a BFA from the University of California, Irvine, an MFA from UCLA, and was a Loeb Fellow at The Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He is the author of several journal articles and has counseled authors writing books on the healingproperties of garden environments. He has been a consultant on garden projects for the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Downey, CA, and the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, CA. He worked closely with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross M.D. to assess her property in Virginia and generate ideas for the creation of a garden at her training center for health practitioners. He participated in the design collaboration of the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. He has lectured and taught classes and seminars at Harvard University, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, and the University of Virginia. He was also a final keynote speaker at the ASLA Centennial Conference.

Health Care and Human Services Professionals seminar
Wednesday, June 29, 5:30–7:30 p.m.

Seminar includes a lecture and a private walk-through of the Garden with Mr. Healy and
Portland Japanese Garden Curator, Sadafumi Uchiyama.
Fee: $35
Location: Pavilion, Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
Reservations required, space is limited
Call (503) 542-0280

Talk for members of the general public
Thursday, June 30th,
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Fee: $10 members, $15 non-members
Location: Pavilion, Portland Japanese Garden
611 SW Kingston Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
Reservations required, space is limited
Call (503) 542-0280 or go to the Portland Japanese Garden website.

Thank you to Teresia Hazen, Horticultural Therapist and Coordinator of Gardens at Legacy Health in Portland, OR for news about this event.

Open Spaces Sacred Places Award – An Extraordinary Opportunity

Stone circle with Japanese maple. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Stone circle with Japanese maple. Photo by Naomi Sachs

National Awards Initiative for Integrated Design and Research –
First webinar is tomorrow, 6/16!

Open Spaces Sacred Places (formerly the TKF Foundation) has announced its final spend down program, the national Open Spaces Sacred Places Award Initiative.

This new award program will fund the creation of significant Open Spaces Sacred Places that are designed specifically with the intent to study and communicate the impact of a specific type of urban public greenspace on users. Grants will be awarded from a total funding pool of $5 million. Funding will be provided to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design and implement a physical space, conduct associated research study(s) and disseminate findings. This Request for Proposal (RFP) launches the first phase of the national awards program and will provide funding for planning grants.

This unique funding opportunity has two pieces: Optional planning grant award opportunities will be determined later in 2011, and then, in 2012, the actual full award opportunity for the visioning, collaborative planning, and creation of a significant new Open Space Sacred Place. This new program is unique in that  it includes a defined research component as an integral part of the project from the beginning. Visit their new website,  Open Sacred, for more details.

Two informational webinars will provide an overview of TKF and details on both pieces of the award program and will include plenty of time for Q &A. Sessions will be archived for later viewing.

The first webinar is tomorrow, 6/16/11, from 2:00-3:00 EST. You must register in advance for this webinar – click here to do so. All questions and responses from the webinar will be posted to the website.

The second webinar is on 7/19/2011, from 2 – 3 pm EST.

This is truly an extraordinary opportunity. I hope that our members of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network will spread the word and go for it!

National Children & Youth Garden Symposium

American Horticultural Society 2011 National Children & Youth Garden SymposiumFrom the American Horticultural Society website:

Gardens provide endless opportunities for unleashing kids’ creative sides while also helping them learn about the world around them. Discover innovative ways to mine this potential at the 2011 Symposium, where we will dig into both the art and science of gardening (spade not required).

This year’s Symposium hosts also reflect this theme, bringing together the educational resources of 4-H Children’s Garden at Michigan State University and the artistry of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. They will provide the perfect location for you to pick up new tools, resources, activities, skills, and inspiration to take back to the youth in your communities and schools.

Come learn how to create and use gardens to provide dynamic environments for experimentation, social engagement, self-expression, and connection to the natural world. Hear from students, their teachers, and national experts about the vital role gardens can play in the lives of today’s youth.

(more…)

Wordless Wednesday, 6/8/11 – Juneberries

 

Harvesting (and eating!) fruit from the serviceberry/Juneberry tree. Photo by Naomi Sachs

Harvesting (and eating!) fruit from the serviceberry/Juneberry tree. Photo by Naomi Sachs

For more about the joys of edible gardens, see Edible Gardens Are Healing Gardens (apologies for the small text – reformatting from Blogger to WordPress move has not been done yet).

 

 

Butterfly magic, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Healing Garden

Painted Lady butterly on little hands, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Painted Lady butterly on little hands, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Last week, Painted Lady butterflies were released in the Olson Family Garden at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Gary Wangler, Horticulturist/Manager of Grounds Operations/Horticultural Therapist sent these photographs and this description:

“We do 2 releases each year. I get 100 larvae off the internet as a kit. The kids assemble the small containers with lids, place larvae food into each container, and in 3 weeks, we have butterflies. The last 3 days, I feed the butterflies with cotton balls that I have soaked with sugar water and on a nice day, we send word through the hospital about the release. At 1:00 in the Garden, patients and families come out to release the little winged creatures to the new world.”

This is the magic we can bring to people when they need it most.

The Olson Family Garden is one of the best examples of a children’s healing garden and rooftop healing garden. For more information, visit the St. Louis Children’s Hospital website, www.stlouischildrens.org/content/OlsonFamilyGarden.htm.

Butterflies awaiting release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Butterflies awaiting release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Painted Lady butterfly, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Painted Lady butterfly, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Butterfly release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Butterfly release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Butterfly release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Butterfly release, St. Louis Children's Hospital. Photo by Gary Wangler

Many thanks, Gary, for these wonderful images! All photos by Gary Wangler. By consent of the guardian(s), these images may be used.

Wordless Wednesday, 6/1/11 – Bonsai world

From the Nakamura Bonsai Collection, Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

From the Nakamura Bonsai Collection, Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo by Naomi Sachs

If you can only plant one thing, plant a tree

White oak. Photo by Henry Domke, http://henrydomke.com

White oak. Photo by Henry Domke, henrydomke.com

The best friend of earth of man is the tree.  When we use the tree respectfully and economically, we have one of the greatest resources on the earth.
–   Frank Lloyd Wright

Let’s say you are designing a healing garden – for a client or yourself – and you only have 10 square feet of planting space. You could plant a few shrubs, or a few more perennials, or a bunch of annuals. Or you could plant a tree. If there’s enough vertical space, and there usually is, go for the tree. Why? Here are some reasons:

Shade
Shade is one of the most important components of any therapeutic landscape, and yet it is overlooked so often that sometimes I just want to cry. I’ve seen countless designs that might be successful if enough shade were provided for people to actually enjoy the garden even on hot, sunny days. I’m going to do a whole post on this soon, but I’ll point out a couple key things here. Especially in the healthcare setting, shade is crucial. Many people are “photosensitive” – sensitive to sun and bright light, either because of their condition or from the medication that they’re on. Imagine a garden in a cancer center without shade. I’ve seen those! If you include trees in your design, make sure they are big enough when they go in to provide shade right away. See that mother who is visiting her sick child and wants to sit with him under a nice, shady tree for a few minutes? Look her in the eye and tell her to come back in five years when the tree will be big enough to provide adequate shade. Or plant a big tree and watch as people gravitate to and gather under its soothing, protective boughs. Speaking of which…

Symbolism
You can’t beat trees for symbolism. They are so strong and resilient, and yet so graceful, flexible, and nurturing. And they can live for hundreds of years. Pretty inspiring. Furthermore, lots of trees are used for medicinal purposes. Even if a willow isn’t actually harvested for its analgesic properties, it can still be a good symbol of pain relief in a setting where healing is the goal.

Alone with myself
The trees bend to caress me
The shade hugs my heart.
~Candy Polgar

Sensory engagement
Sight is the most obvious sense, and we can appreciate a tree from a distance, from below looking up at the leaves and the patterns of light filtered through them, from above looking down through a window onto green rather than brown or grey. Remember Roger Ulrich’s seminal study* of patients recovering from surgery? The view that the patients had who recovered faster and needed pain medication was of a grove of trees. (more…)