News published 11 February 2025

As reported here last November, botanical garden leaders in Ukraine have turned to Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) as a way to aid compatriots suffering from the traumas of war. With support from their longtime US ally, Partnerships for Nature (PN), they have introduced pilot programs for displaced families, veterans, children with special needs, the elderly, and those simply grieving from personal loss and stress.

These new programs, guided by Emilee Weaver, Manager of North Carolina Botanical Garden’s Therapeutic Horticulture Program, have met with deep appreciation and popularity, and will be expanded in 2025. In October Weaver and her colleague Amy Stidham led a three-day workshop at Bolestrazyce Arboretum in SE Poland for thirteen Ukrainians from five botanical gardens. Participants evaluated each other’s programs, received input from Weaver and Stidham, and planned for the future. This rare in-person opportunity, organized by PN, supplemented a year of online collaboration to develop TH in Ukraine.

These Ukrainian practitioners will soon receive TH certificates from North Caroline Botanical Garden. Weaver is excited and moved by the entire project, and the opportunity to oversee this work.

“Through their translation and study of NCBG’s online course, participation in webinars and the workshop in Poland, and especially their practical experience designing and leading TH programs at their gardens, they are more than deserving of receiving TH certificates,” says Weaver.

“In fact, given the extremely difficult circumstances in which they are accomplishing all of this, I feel honored to be their mentor!” says Weaver

Those receiving certificates will assist their colleagues in studying and implementing TH in Ukraine’s gardens and other settings. As their programs grow, Ukrainian botanical gardens are now partnering with other organizations serving vulnerable populations, including children’s hospitals, schools, homes for the elderly, and veterans’ groups. An overall Ukraine TH Coordination Center is being considered.

The unique role of botanical gardens in wartime Ukraine’s cities – offering green oases of respite, recovery, and education – will remain essential in the post-war era. Assistance is possible through the generosity of BGCI and its donors, US botanical gardens, and a wide range of private citizens. If you’d like to help, donations can be made via PN’s website, where you can also learn more about these projects.