When you think about it, it seems obvious that lush, beautiful landscaping can help the healing process. But studies actually prove it.
Landscaping hospitals and other health care facilities should include shade, tranquility, and the opportunity to connect with nature.
Patients appreciate green space and gardens as they heal. Health care workers benefit from beautiful, well-tended grounds, too.
Let’s take a look at some important things to consider in a hospital landscape design.
A much cited study, published in 1984 in the journal Science by environmental psychologist Roger Ulrich, showed that gazing at a garden can sometimes speed healing from surgery, infections and other ailments.
Ulrich and his team reviewed the medical records of people recovering from gall bladder surgery at a suburban Pennsylvania hospital.
All other things being equal, patients with bedside windows looking out on leafy trees healed, on average, a day faster, needed significantly less pain medication and had fewer post-surgical complications than patients whose view was a brick wall.
Doctors, nurses and other health care professionals endure a lot of stress on the job. Hospital landscaping is a boost for them, too. Outdoor common areas with planting beds or large-scale planters invite a quiet lunch or conversation with colleagues.
Garden paths allow a chance for exercise and fresh air during breaks.
A front entrance featuring colorful flowers and lush plants starts a stress-filled day with calm and beauty.
Level Green Landscaping maintains the grounds at Howard University Hospital, one of the most comprehensive health care facilities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
A private, nonprofit institution, Howard University Hospital offers medical students a chance to observe or participate in ground-breaking clinical and research work with professionals who are changing the face of health care.
But like many hospitals, they have a tight landscaping budget. And like most urban hospitals, there isn't much green space.
“City hospitals like Howard are often a lot of concrete,” says James Wyble Kole, the account manager on the Howard University Hospital account. “There’s not a lot of land available for landscaping.”
Howard’s standard maintenance contract with Level Green allows crews to keep the hospital’s small lawn, front courtyard, trees and flowers well maintained and looking tidy, within their budget.
When the budget allows, there are several ways hospitals and other health care facilities can incorporate healing landscape design:
While hardscape walkways and courtyards are part of a good hospital landscaping plan, greenery should be king.
Think lush, layered landscapes with shade trees, flowers and shrubs at various heights. Plant life offers shade, privacy and beauty — all important to a healing atmosphere.
Native plants — plants original to your area of the country — are hugely popular now. They’re hardy and less susceptible to pests and diseases. They grow well and require little care.
They also attract wildlife, another boost to healing. Birds, butterflies and hummingbirds will start flitting around, delighting the patients and hospital workers who duck outside for some respite.
The best therapeutic landscaping isn’t just a feast for the eyes. Offer gardens that can be touched, smelled and heard, too. Ornamental grasses rustle gently in the breeze. Fuzzy lamb’s ear plants are nice substitutes for kittens. Lavender’s scent is famous for relaxation and calm.
One note: Avoid strongly fragrant flowers or other odors. Chemotherapy patients are sensitive to many smells.
Hospital landscaping paths should be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and pedestrians strolling in pairs. They should be smooth, so they don’t impede wheelchair wheels or snag wheeled IV poles.
Some plants have been associated with healing for centuries and are great additions to therapeutic landscaping. They include lavender, rosemary, roses, catnip, sage and sweet marjoram.
The sound of moving water relaxes us, soothes our nerves and makes a hospital stay a bit less stressful. Waterfalls and fountains are both great options to include in courtyard or common areas or as a feature in a healing garden.
At Level Green Landscaping, our mission is to help you create a beautiful, functional landscape perfectly suited to your commercial property. If you’re in the healing business, we can help.
Our experienced team can install soothing, accessible planting beds, pathways, patios, gardens, seating areas and more to contribute to your therapeutic landscape design.
And once everything is installed, we can keep it looking fresh with regular maintenance services, including mowing, edging, blowing, pruning and more.
Contact us at 202-544-0968 or request a free consultation to see how we can enhance the healing properties of your hospital landscape design.
