Abstract
Reviewing the recent literature of horticultural therapy is of considerable use to the alternative health care practitioner. In addition to giving a broad overview of this interdisciplinary field from 1979 to 1998, it is possible to gain a practical perspec tive on the contexts in which horticultural therapy programs have been most successfully implemented, as with the elderly. This insight can then be transferred to populations who have received relatively little attention such as incarcerated individuals or children. More examples of case studies in occupational settings are also needed. The environmental benefits, as a consequence of such efforts, may be important yet often go unreported. The purpose of this article is twofold: to examine dominant themes in the practice of horticultural therapy based on a substantive review of selected articles and to identify "weak spots" where additional informa tion is needed by health care practitioners, including issues related to methodology, documentation, and assessment.