mental health

What Plants Can Teach Us About Mental Health at Work

| August 26, 2025 | Categories: Blog, Nature and Wellbeing, Newsletters, Office Design, Plantscaping
Selective focus of businesswoman gesturing while walking with partners in office.
In nature, nothing truly grows alone. Beneath the soil, plants are in constant conversation—sharing resources, warning each other of danger, and adapting together when the world around them changes. This quiet cooperation is what keeps entire ecosystems alive. We aren’t so different. At work and in life, our well-being is deeply tied to the people around us. When one of us struggles, it ripples outward. When we share kindness, understanding, and support, we all grow stronger together. The truth is, modern workplaces can be stressful, especially when pressure is constant and rest feels like a luxury. But by looking to the natural world, we can remember a powerful truth: connection and care aren’t just “nice to have.”… Read More

Get Dirty, Get Healthier With Horticultural Therapy

| October 5, 2022 | Categories: Architecture and Design, Biophilia, Biophilic Design, Case Studies, Nature and Wellbeing
I do a lot of thinking on my quiet canyon bench. It's much nicer than a traditional therapist's office. Photo: Jim Mumford horticultural therapy
Many people develop a love of gardening and nature as they grow up through older relatives as they care for their flowers, plants, or fruit and vegetable gardens. I spent many family summers enjoying the outdoors and learning about nature in a way that seems a little old-fashioned today. So many of my relatives have a love for nature. My father, Bob, became a much admired – and published! – nature photographer after retiring from the United States Navy. Mom Sandy is an avid backyard gardener and refuses to throw a struggling plant away, and rarely prunes. My daughter, Allie, loves nature – for her, it’s all about animals.… Read More

Bringing the Outdoors In

| October 10, 2013 | Categories: Biophilic Design, Good Earth Plant Company, Indoor Plants, Plantscaping
After a long week of reviewing designs for living walls and finalizing contracts for green roofs, I often toss some work in my leather bag and head home to finish up in my “sanctuary,” AKA my living room. With a panoramic view of a lush canyon complete with mature trees, California scrub and a pseudo meadow,  my second story living room is at treetop level. The view is spectacular: gracefully aging eucalyptus and ash trees surrounded by palms and an old and twisted Hollywood juniper. It is in my big chair, in my living room that I am able to take a deep breath and exhale the day.… Read More