THERAPEUTIC GARDENS
Green spaces always give us a sense of well-being. This is a new specialisation that sees the Dellavalle team engaged in the creation of green spaces with therapeutic goals for the improvement of our psychological and physical state. These are bespoke green areas, designed to meet the special needs of public and private facilities for the care and health of the individual, physically, psychologically and socially. Science and medicine have known for some time that green spaces, parks and gardens have a positive influence on the psychological and physical sphere, with great benefits for those who live with disability, advanced age or mental and social distress. The therapeutic gardens designed by the Dellavalle team can provide spaces for horticulture and practical gardening as a form of care and educational and social entertainment, areas dedicated to meditation and the perception of natural elements (with paths for the visually impaired, fragrant plants and sonorous plants...) and rehabilitative gardens, with design details that promote movement even where there is a motor disability.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
WELL-BEING
Plants stimulate all five senses and contribute to various therapeutic functions. Gardens help us to understand and accept the universal cycle of life. Observing, understanding and living near plants communicates the value of the stages of life and its untiring renewal, and also of our own existence. These are important values which help us to regain and maintain self-esteem, respect for others, the ability to concentrate, positive mood and optimism. The use of the colours of the vegetation, flowers and fruits is a part of the language that plants use to transmit well-being to us. During the design phase of a therapeutic garden, colours are used coherently by Dellavalle Gardens with the purpose of aesthetic and harmony of the place.
PHYSICAL
WELL-BEING
Caring for plants and flowers helps us to keep in training and to improve cognitive abilities, such as coordination, muscular strength, dexterity and manual skill, even in those in different age groups who live with physical and mental distress for the most diverse of reasons. Gardening is a form of muscular movement and invites you to forget the sedentary life, to switch off the TV and computer to dedicate yourself to nature with its excellent health benefits. Additionally, plants help to purify the air we breathe, give beauty to our environments and dispense positive energy to improve our mood and effectively combat stress.
SOCIAL
WELL-BEING
When performing an activity such as gardening, it is easy to socialise, share emotions and discoveries and to find topics of conversation. The social therapeutic function of the garden and gardening is relaxing and rewarding. Participating in the maintenance of a therapeutic garden helps you to feel part of a community, with benefits at an individual and societal level. Their therapeutic function is useful for those who live in an urban environment; social and shared gardens can be proposed which provide experiences which are both pleasant and useful.
OUR
COMMITMENT
The Dellavalle Gardens team work in harmony and cooperation with the facilities for which the design is intended (schools, clinics, hospitals, residences for the elderly and disabled, etc.) and make the most of the powerful energetic, spiritual and communicative resources of the plants, with the aim of recovering a healthy relationship with the nature that surrounds us and the reality of every day. The knowledge and experience that we provide allows for the creation of environments which are suitable for their therapeutic goals and which are also places of well-being and beauty; flowers and vegetables transmit to us the strong message of the rhythm of nature.
COLOURS THAT HEAL
PLEASURABLE SENSATIONS
TOUCHING
AND FEELING
01 / INFO
Touch plays a very important role in the life of each and every one of us. It opens the door to profound, visceral and primordial emotions. Touching is the first gesture of a baby, a gesture that remains within us instinctively: and in a garden it is possible to discover a wide range of different sensations and emotions, just by touch. With not just bare hands, but our feet, our face and every other part of our body, we can commune with plants and find once more the pleasure of bringing our full attention on a single sensation perceived by our body in that precise moment: to live fully in the present moment.
SOUND
DIMENSION
02 / INFO
Sound has the ability to influence our moods and emotions both positively and negatively. In urban life there are many noises which have a negative influence on our psychological and physical state. To find wellbeing you can use the sound dimension of a garden: a refuge from noise contamination and the annoyances of daily life. The sounds of nature have a relaxing effect: you only have to think of the noise of the rain on the leaves of plants, the noise of a waterfall or the delicate sound of the wind in the bushes. These are all aspects that Dellavalle Gardens never overlooks because it is aware of the multisensory role that every garden should have.
VISUAL
IMPACT
03 / INFO
Colour therapy is an ancient tradition and offers excellent outcomes for different illnesses, such as migraines, asthma, eczema, depression, lethargy, joint disorders and many more. The colours of plants and flowers have a positive impact on our health. Red, for example, stimulates liver activity, has an energising effect and helps to decongest the respiratory tract. Yellow relieves digestive disorders and is useful in cases of insomnia. Blue reduces blood pressure and inflammation. Green gives serenity, calms gastrointestinal disorders and has natural antibacterial and disinfectant properties.
PERFUMES
& ODOURS
04 / INFO
Science has shown the significant therapeutic effects of the scents of flowers: effects that are related to personal experiences and your own lived experience when faced with a particular smell. Some scents create calm and relaxation. Other fragrances play an energising and stimulating role. These effects depend upon the degree of perceived “pleasure”. If a smell is perceived as pleasant, our brain releases endorphins with immediate psychological and physical benefits; science and medicine are still studying the mysteries of our olfactory system but it is common sense to recommend that we live in close contact with natural fragrances.
