Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
We inform. You decide.
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Veterans dig deep at UF therapeutic horticulture program

<p dir="ltr"><span>Dessie Robinson, a United States veteran and regular attendee of horticulture therapy, transfers young rabbit ear seedlings into pots. Robinson has attended the program for two semesters after hearing about it from the social work department at the VA. </span></p>

Dessie Robinson, a United States veteran and regular attendee of horticulture therapy, transfers young rabbit ear seedlings into pots. Robinson has attended the program for two semesters after hearing about it from the social work department at the VA. 

Four days before Veteran’s Day, two women sat in the UF Wilmot Botanical Gardens planting rabbit ear plants and basil. They spoke to each other as they worked under the greenhouse fans, carefully placing the plants into pots full of damp soil. 

The women, almost two decades apart, were there for the same reason: women veteran horticulture therapy.

The plant therapy class is held every Thursday and was started Spring 2019 by Leah Diehl, director of therapeutic horticulture at Wilmot Botanical Gardens and a lecturer for the UF Environmental Horticulture Department at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“My goal is to create a sense of community,” Diehl said. “This is a place just for them, I want them to know they belong here.”

Diehl said the program gives women a sense of purpose by teaching them about plants and gardening. The women extend the therapy to their homes, and the two grow together. 

The free class meets from 11 a.m. to noon every Thursday and is open to women who are veterans or suffer from the effects of war. Usually, two to five people participate. They have at least one regular attendee from each branch of the U.S. military. 

Dessie Robinson, a 70-year-old veteran who has attended the class since it began, said the program is a nice break from her daily life.

“This is me time,” Robinson said. “I meet other people and veterans who are so friendly and nice, and we don’t talk about war. This is a distraction from everyday life.”

Jamie Woodreus, a 22-year-old UF biochemistry senior, has volunteered for the program since the start of this semester.  

“I saw how the veterans were affected by this and how it changed their mood,” Woodreus said. “It’s kind of an escape from reality for them.”

Woodreus encourages other students interested in helping out veterans to volunteer as well. She said she has been able to form strong connections with the women.

“I love interacting with the people here and learning their stories,” she said.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox

Dessie Robinson, a United States veteran and regular attendee of horticulture therapy, transfers young rabbit ear seedlings into pots. Robinson has attended the program for two semesters after hearing about it from the social work department at the VA. 

Support your local paper
Donate Today
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.

Nora O'Neill

Nora O'Neill is a fourth-year journalism and philosophy student and the Enterprise Editor for The Alligator. She previously served as the Avenue Editor and the business and economics beat reporter. In her free time you can find her reading books with no plot and abusing her Chemex.


Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.