From UF/IFAS
In Summary:
UF researchers found that students who participated in a semester-long therapeutic horticulture program experienced lower stress levels and improved academic resilience, including better perseverance and help-seeking skills. The program paired plant-care activities with mindfulness and gratitude exercises, giving students hands-on ways to manage anxiety and reconnect with nature. With college counseling centers nationwide overwhelmed, researchers believe this group-based approach could offer an accessible, scalable support system and hope to expand it to other universities.
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College can be full of stressors. Deadlines, pressure to ace exams, changing social groups, and the looming fear of securing a job after graduation all leave students feeling exhausted, frazzled, and anxious.
Related: Breakthrough with first successful harvest of disease-resistant grapes shows hope for a Florida wine renaissance.
What if part of the solution for taking the edge off is as simple as soil, sunlight, and water?
A new study by University of Florida researchers found that their therapeutic horticulture program not only reduced students’ overall stress but also increased their academic resilience, potentially leading to better performance in class.
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, examined groups of University of Florida students over three semesters to evaluate their stress before and after engaging in therapeutic horticulture activities, such as caring for potted plants and paired mindfulness activities.
“We want to help students recognize the relationship between nature and their personal wellness,” said Leah Diehl, program director and UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty. “We hope they’ll use these strategies for their entire life – in their careers and family lives – not just while they're a student in the university.”
Students paired a horticulture activity – such as propagating plant cuttings – with a wellness strategy, such as gratitude or mindfulness, to reduce stress and anxiety.
Most students who participated in this program at UF reported that, after the program ended, they felt more academic resilience, perseverance, help-seeking skills, fewer negative emotions, and less overall perceived stress.
The semester-long program has run for several years, with different students participating each semester, and Diehl said students were able to be creative while connecting with nature. In some sessions, they crafted foliage bouquets and talked about the people they’re grateful for and would like to give the bouquet to. In others, they practiced breathing techniques and created a macrame hanger and a Japanese moss ball – metaphorically tying together the idea of the body-centered practices, support, and the tangles of a root ball.
The UF Therapeutic Horticulture program, hosted at Wilmot Botanical Gardens, ran the study, with assistance from the UF Counseling and Wellness Center, which helped develop wellness strategies each week.
Stress and mental health challenges are persistent obstacles for college students, reports have found. A 2024 State of Higher Education Report stated that one in three enrolled college students had considered dropping out, and of those, 64% cited emotional stress or mental health as the reason.
The study notes that given that college counseling and wellness centers nationwide are “overwhelmed” with clients, a therapeutic horticulture program done in a group setting could be a useful tool to provide resources to students in need.
Additional studies will be conducted to evaluate the program's effectiveness in subsequent semesters. The program has run for seven semesters so far, and this study evaluates just the first three semesters’ work.
Diehl said she hopes to expand this program to other universities, first in Florida and then nationwide.
Key Points:
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UF’s therapeutic horticulture program combined plant-based activities with mindfulness strategies to help students manage stress.
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Participants reported reduced perceived stress, fewer negative emotions, and higher academic resilience after completing the program.
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Activities ranged from propagating plant cuttings to crafting bouquets, macrame hangers, and Japanese moss balls, all paired with wellness exercises.
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The study evaluated three semesters of participants and suggests that group horticulture programs could supplement overburdened college counseling services.
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Program leaders hope to expand the initiative across Florida and eventually nationwide to support student mental health.
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human, and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries and all Florida residents.
For more information, go to ifas.ufl.edu.
