Gardens as Healing Spaces
Denver Urban Gardens’ Therapeutic Garden Program (TG) creates and supports garden spaces designed for children and adults experiencing trauma, navigating sensory challenges, or seeking emotional well-being. These outdoor refuges offer individuals a place to find a relationship with nature, develop new skills, and find a sense of calm and empowerment.
Since its launch in 2023, the TG program has established four gardens serving more than 1,900 people annually. Each garden is thoughtfully planned in partnership with organizations such as Firefly Autism, the Tennyson Center, the International Rescue Committee, and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to meet the specific needs of the communities they support.
Firefly is dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through learning, support, and solutions. The learners at Firefly have little to no access to outdoor spaces. The therapeutic garden provides them with not just a natural space but also ways to access critical emotional regulation tools, which has reduced stress and burnout for both their caregivers and the Firefly staff. Learners can experience nature and gardening in a safe and supported environment.
- Features added:
- Raised sensory plots
- Free Play area
- Shaded gathering area
- Wheelchair-accessible raised beds
- Favorite activities and benefits:
- Garden nature walks for self-regulation
- Caring for plants for workforce development
- Nature-based art for self-expression
- Staff relaxation time
The Tennyson Center for Children partners with kids and families impacted by neglect, abuse, and trauma. The therapeutic garden provides connections to outdoor experiences for neurodiverse children and supports their social-emotional learning, wellness skills, restorative justice practices, and relaxation.
- Features added:
- Sensory garden
- Free play area and activities
- Welcoming entry path and gathering area
- Trellises for gardening and art projects
- Sensory pathways for calming repetitive motions
- Bee hotel
- Sensory and free-play activity signs
- Favorite activities and benefits
- Sensory pathway for self-regulation
- Staff tea for connecting and relaxing
- Music time for mindfulness
- Garden art as self-expression
The IRC’s New Roots program program helps refugees become food secure and contribute to their new homes and communities. The sensory garden provides a calming environment to unwind the effects of trauma and find a sense of belonging in a new home. The free play space allows nature play for youth and doubles as a gathering area for the greater community.
- Features added:
-
- Gathering areas
- Curved sensory plots
- Sensory pathways
- Free play area
- Sensory and free-play activity signs
- Favorite activities and benefits:
- Planting Hopes and Dreams
- Nature Scavenger Hunts
- Community potlucks
Residents and neighbors use the Blue Spruce Community Garden to grow food and connect to nature. The therapeutic garden spaces provide the youth access to outdoor play space and an opportunity to learn from the rhythms of nature. The therapeutic garden features welcoming posts decorated by the youth, a music wall and fairy garden. The boulders and benches provide meeting areas for CCH caseworkers and clients amidst the calming sensory plants.
- Features added:
- Sensory garden
- Free play space
- Welcome posts
- Music Wall
- Fairy Garden
- Favorite activities and benefits:
- Conversations with caseworkers in a natural, calming setting
- Free play in the fairy garden
- Harvesting from the communal plots
”With the partnership of Denver Urban Gardens, we were able to design and build a one-of-a-kind sensory and community garden tailored specifically to the needs of our learners. This unique space has had an incredible impact on the mental, emotional, and social well-being of our learners and our broader Firefly community.
Dr. Amanda Kelly, CEO of Firefly Autism
Gardens for Purpose
TG gardens are built with purpose—designed to engage the senses, encourage exploration, and promote emotional and social health. Through sensory-focused elements and hands-on activities, these spaces invite people of all ages to connect with the natural world in meaningful ways.
As the Therapeutic Garden Program continues to grow, DUG is committed to bringing the transformative power of these gardens to even more communities. This vision includes:
- The DUG Playbook: A practical, step-by-step guide for building a therapeutic garden tailored to your community’s needs.
- Expanding TG Sites: Adding therapeutic spaces to existing DUG gardens and incorporating TG elements into all new DUG gardens.
Community Collaborator Designs: Partnering with local organizations to design customized therapeutic spaces that reflect the needs of their clients and to train the on-site staff to use the therapeutic garden to meet specific client goals.
”I feel so much better outside!
Learner at Firefly Autism
10-Session Garden Therapy Program for Wellness
Maximize the benefits of therapeutic gardening with expert-led, tailored programming. DUG works closely with your on-site staff to design and implement a custom 10-week program that addresses the unique needs of your clients. Together, we’ll identify individual or group goals and create specialized garden workshops that support wellness, rehabilitation, and skill-building. In addition, DUG will collaborate with your team to model effective garden-based teaching strategies and provide access to the DUG Playbook, a comprehensive guide for creating lasting garden-based impact.
”The response from our learners has been overwhelming. They frequently ask to spend time in the garden, and it has become a cherished part of their daily routines.
Dr. Amanda Kelly, CEO of Firefly Autism
Private Group Community Wellness Workshops
DUG offers private group workshops for organizations and businesses wishing to support healing, growth, and well-being for both individuals and groups through the transformative power of nature. Our garden therapy-themed workshops engage participants with nature in meaningful, hands-on ways to foster connection, resilience, and personal development.
Learn more and book a Private Group workshop.
