The Healing Environment Moves Outdoors

Hospitals and healthcare facilities across America are adding healing gardens - comfortable (and comforting) areas where patients, families and facility staff find leisure and relaxation in the midst of a busy or stressful healthcare environment. Mariani Landscape is rapidly becoming a leader in the design of these outdoor healing environments.

Mariani has designed and installed the Hugh Falls Healing Garden at Lake Forest Hospital and is designing three additional gardens in Illinois and Wisconsin. "These gardens represent much more than just materials and plantings," says landscape architect and project director Shannon Mitchell. "It's a chance to really think about the space, how people interact with it and invest meaning in it."

Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, a member of the Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare System, commissioned Mariani Landscape to design a series of courtyard healing gardens. The divided gardens, combined with both formal and natural spaces, will accommodate a variety of users: a cancer garden will feature benches and statues for reflection; a heart health garden with open areas offers an opportunity for aerobic exercise and yoga; and a children's garden will have brightly colored statues and marbles that double as groundcover and toys.

Mariani Landscape recently began construction on a garden for the Aurora Summit Hospital in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. "When considering these projects, the smallest details can speak to the healing process," says Mitchell. Considering the courtyard-style building, with many patient rooms facing the garden, Mitchell's design calls for fountains and a large reflecting pool complete with koi fish for color and movement. Quotes relevant to healing will be inscribed around the base of the pool. The garden features benches and tables for outdoor eating, as well as a pathway system for patients and staff alike to exercise.

Plymouth Place, a retirement home in LaGrange, enlisted Mariani to design rooftop and third floor terraces for residents, staff and visitors. Mitchell's plan calls for a series of vertical gardens with climbing vines, annuals such as begonias and impatiens as well as cooking herbs. Raised planters make for easy access to plants, and identification signs help residents to learn more about plants. Pull-up tables accommodate wheelchairs and gardening activities, while wind chimes and fountains create sound.

As healthcare becomes more focused on creating a true healing environment, healing gardens present an opportunity to create a positive outdoor experience for anyone who comes in contact with the facility.

Back to articles.