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The 5,000 square foot garden is Portland’s only therapy garden designed exclusively for behavioral medicine. The outdoor oasis provides a tranquil and secure healing environment for mental health patients, staff and visitors.

The garden enhances Adventist Medical Center’s mission of whole person care and commitment to the community by providing:

• Secured outdoor space for therapy activities
• An enhanced horticulture therapy program
• Space for physical exercise
• Private social area for family visits

“Providing mental health patients a safe and secure place to enjoy fresh air and engage in outdoor therapy is a tremendous blessing,” states Patrick Cosgrove, administrative director of behavioral health services at AMC. “We are honored to pave the way for hospital based whole person care for Mental Health patients in Portland.”

The Healing Garden’s features include pathways for walking, trees and ground cover plants, along with the following  specialty gardens:

Raised Garden Beds
The seasonal flowerbeds and raised beds will include non-permanent plants that add beautiful and soothing color to the garden. By facilitating a seasonal change of plants, the  garden will continue to be interesting and pleasing to the eye.

Shade Garden
Patients, visitors and staff will learn how to relax and enjoy the beauty of a shady garden oasis. Shrubs and perennials will abound that brighten or punctuate all green plantings. Plants will variegated leaves will add visual texture and definition to the calming space. Hints of gold, lime, burgundy, and chocolate red foliage will please the eye for anyone sitting quietly on a bench in the shade garden.

Northwest Native Plant Garden
The importance of planting with native species and in accordance with your habitat zone cannot be understated. Native ecosystems are vanishing rapidly due to suburban development, logging, mining, etc. Patients, staff, and visitors will learn about several Pacific Northwest Plants that provide undaunted beauty and are very low maintenance. Most if not all native plants are disease resistant, drought tolerant, and provide erosion control for  certain areas. Native plants also provide wildlife with food, cover and a place to nest. The Northwest Natives Garden will be an excellent education piece for all who view it.

Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden
Butterflies and hummingbirds add elegant, inspiring beauty to the garden. The plants selected will help meet the needs of the small winged wonders, so they will come and visit the garden. Patients, visitors, and staff will be able to enjoy their beauty while in the garden and from view of the garden inside. In order to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden, gardening practices really do matter. Participants will learn how to provide the correct habitat for the butterflies and hummingbirds, so one can add magic and life to the garden and help to ensure the survival of these fragile insects.

Perennial Flower Garden
Perennials are any plants, which live for more than two seasons and produce stems, which die back to the ground each fall. They are at the heart of most flower gardens and offer wide-ranging benefits to the gardener and the guests to the garden. Perennials are treasured for their ability to flower, spread and multiply year after year. They’re also noted for their form, texture, vibrant color and their ability to attract birds and other wildlife to the garden. Perennials can stand on their own in the landscape but can be complimented by a few well-placed annuals. While perennials are easy to grow, there are a few basic maintenance guidelines to follow that the patients will help out with as the perennial garden grows! Patients and staff will also be encouraged to bring in cut flower bouquets from the garden to enjoy inside.

The Hope and Healing Garden is made possible in part by the generosity of community support.

CareMark Behavioral Health Services is a joint venture between Adventist Health System/West and Legacy Health.