The Houston Botanic Garden Partnership

This 132-acre garden is a curated collection of 1,000 taxa of tropical, sub-tropical, and arid plants from around the world that enriches lives through discovery, education, and the conservation of plants and the natural environment. Together with CHN, Houston Methodist is developingg several programs to gather the impact on the health of Houstonians that visit this rich nature experience.

The two organizations are also creating a Science of Health and Nature walking tour through various ecosystems within the garden. The tour is to be developed by academic medicine faculty from Houston Methodist and CHN researchers to teach the science behind the impact of nature on health in a hands-on setting.

Visitors will be able to access the CHN and Houston Botanic Garden walking tour through an app that guides them through an audio exploration of the science behind the impact of the garden’s ecosystems and plants on their health.

The tour will be comprised of videos featuring subject matter experts who will speak on topics ranging from creating personal landscapes that are conducive to good physical and mental health, selecting herbs and other flowers for gardening that have health benefits and the benefits of plant-based eating and how nature can heal and restore.

The Houston Botanic Gardens annual luncheon was held in October 2022.

People interested in participating will also be able to track their stress markers throughout the tour as part of our study. We are also collaborating on the design of an outdoor kitchen for studying the impact of programming that teaches balanced nutrition and cooking with plant-based foods.

In May 2022, Houston Botanic Garden hosted a Nurture by Nature festival featuring speakers from the CHN to educate the public on how nature can be used in healing. The festival was free to neighbors of the garden to encourage equitable access. Dr. Maddock served as the keynote speaker for the Houston Botanical Gardens Annual Luncheon in October 2022.