Frosty air off the lake whips around your face, chilling cheeks and fingers. Blustery snow swirls in front of you as you lean into the wind. With a mighty pull, you heave the door open against the stiff breeze to step from Cleveland winter into Madagascar! A semi-arid desert with a lush oasis of palms and ferns surrounds you and massive rock outcroppings loom above. Birds twitter a welcoming tune and the aroma of earthy life reaches your nose, encouraging you to venture further. Intrigued, perhaps even bewitched by this thriving life, you meander on. The next room opens into the tangled vines, vibrant orchids and damp air of the cloud forest of Costa Rica. A butterfly alights upon your shoulder and any trace of winter doldrums vanishes.

While a winter visit to the Cleveland Botanical Garden can do wonders to heal your winter woes, the Garden's programs delve deeper in their offerings of healing to the community. Brian Holley, the Garden's Director, explained that their mission statement is “To Nurture Plants and People.” Aiming to reach people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, the Garden demonstrates the psychological, physical and educational benefits of gardening through programs such as Horticultural Therapy, Ripe from Downtown, Green Corps and Intergenerational Gardening.
Patricia Owens is the Chair of Garden Therapy and a horticultural therapist. The program she developed utilizes garden activities to provide relaxation, a connection to the past, and common ground within a group. Planting a seed is a common thread, and recollections of childhood gardening awaken rich memories of family heritage.

The Garden therapists work with different segments of society, including the physically and mentally challenged, the homeless, inner-city at-risk youth, long-term care patients, and aging populations. Holley, who is also a horticultural therapist, noted, “The art of horticultural therapy is about the process, not the product, so it appeals to all ages and all skill levels.” Holley and Owens agreed the non-threatening practice of nurturing transcends people from all walks of life, all cultural backgrounds and all capacities to create equality.
Three acres on East 66th Street and Chester, a few gardens on West 25th, and the Esperanza Gardens provide a home to programs such as Ripe from Downtown which introduce children to urban farming. Fun gardening projects like this one not only teach about the growing of organic vegetables and herbs, but also about managing a small business. With pride in their accomplishments, participants share the harvests with family, area hunger centers and an on-site market.

The work/study program called Green Corps trains urban youth in landscaping and entrepreneurial skills. In addition to earning wages for creating and maintaining urban green space, they prepare and sell the harvests at markets and restaurants and make, bottle and market their own Ripe from Downtown Salsa at the Shaker Square and Lakewood Farmer's Markets.

The Botanical Garden's Inter-generational Gardening programs stimulate people of all ages. One activity, “Small Gifts,” provides for seniors to make gifts for family and friends, giving back to this generation who spent their lives providing for others. Working with nature's bounty to create lavender sachets, centerpieces or potpourri is both stimulating and fulfilling. Peter Vertes, the Garden’s Publicity Manager, explained, “It really gives them an opportunity to 'give back' in the way they once had done before.”

In addition to the multitude of outreach programs, the Garden also offers many other opportunities to learn and experience in a “growing” environment. In the warm weather months, the Japanese Garden opens for yoga and tai chi classes, children are invited to scamper around the Hershey Children's Garden, and visitors are encouraged to freely wander through the outdoor Rose Garden, the Herb Garden and the Woodland Garden. The Botanical Garden also holds classes and workshops for the amateur and experienced gardener.

Whether you are looking to escape the winter blues or want to enjoy the warm spring air in a beautiful atmosphere, you do not have to look any farther than The Cleveland Botanical Garden. This nonprofit organization is the collective vision of hard working, dedicated individuals who realize the depth and breadth of life experience and the delicate balance that exists in nature. Owens expressed this eloquently, “Our legacy is in the details that make life more beautiful.”

The Cleveland Botanical Garden is located in University Circle at 11030 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio. They can be reached by calling (216) 721-1600. It is open to the public every day from 10 am until 5 pm. More information is available online at www.cbgarden.org.

Photos by Bob Perkoski.