Horticultural Therapists
Overview
Introduction
Horticultural therapists combine their love of plants and nature with their desire to help people improve their lives. They use gardening, plant care, and other nature-oriented activities as therapy tools for helping their clients feel better by doing such things as focusing on a project, improving social skills, and being physically active. In addition to these benefits, clients experience emotional benefits, such as feeling secure, responsible, and needed. Horticultural therapists clients can include nursing home residents, psychi...
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the median annual earnings of recreational therapists (a career that includes horticultural therapists) were $57,120 in May 2023. Salaries ranged from less than $37,960 to $92,080 or more a year. Fifty percent of recreational therapists earned between $46,420 and $73,150.
Horticultural therapists earned average salaries of $80,600 in 2024, accord...
Work Environment
Horticultural therapists work in many different environments. City community gardens, classrooms, greenhouses, and hospital psychiatric wards are just a few of the settings. Work environments, therefore, can include being outdoors in the sun all day; being in a locked facility, such as for psychiatric patients or prisoners; being in warm, stuffy greenhouses; and being in an air-conditioned scho...
Outlook
The outlook for horticultural therapists is good. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that employment for recreational therapists (a career that includes horticultural therapists) will grow about as fast as the average for all careers through 2033. Job opportunities for recreational therapists are expected to increase much faster than the average at private psychiatric and substance abuse hosp...
