A Company with the Mission of Bringing Serenity to Outdoor Living Spaces

Article by Aya Furin-Campbell

Landscape Therapy HG is a Maryland-based landscape design company, founded in 2017 by Omar Gardner, whose last name is evocative of his mission and work. Landscape Therapy HG differs from other landscaping companies because Gardner’s explicit goal is to bring his clients peace and tranquility by transforming their outdoor spaces. This company also focuses on allowing the client to see their potential outdoor living space in 3D and virtual reality. Gardner strives for perfection in these areas of expertise and executes the projects of his clients with passion and care; exceeding the expectation.

Gardner’s goal to improve the outdoor spaces of his clients. Once a person improves their outdoor living space, they welcome the benefits of mental health. It is statistically proven through research about the importance of the natural world to human mental health. The Mental Health Foundation reports that being around nature provides a wide range of mental health benefits, and that being outside and surrounded by nature is an essential element of emotional, psychological, and mental well- being. 57% of respondents in a survey conducted by the Mental Health Foundation reported experiencing benefits simply from seeing nature as they go about their lives. Research supported by The American Psychological Association agrees, listing the specific benefits of being around nature as attention span, cooperation, and mood improvement, increases in empathy, reduced stress, and reduced chances of psychiatric distress or disorders.

Landscape Therapy HG could represent a return to nature that people may be seeking due to the increasing loss of natural spaces in cities. Heather Hill, a psychotherapist, and ecotherapist has studied the effects of nature on mental health. “Ecotherapy seeks to address the human nature disconnection that results from living in an increasingly urban, technological, time-stressed culture,” Hill said, in speaking on the human need for nature therapy.

This is what gave Landscape Therapy HG its name; utilizing outdoor areas to provide mental health benefits for their clients while simultaneously providing visually appealing outdoor living spaces for their homes is what

Landscape Therapy HG seeks to accomplish. “Nature helps with focusing, and helps to calm me down in moments of stress,” Gardner said, “the goal is to bring peace and tranquility, through the outdoor living spaces.”

The many services that Landscape Therapy HG offers are: deck and patio services, hardscaping, and walkways, electric and outdoor lighting, water features, installations for ponds, and landscaping services with vegetation and floral components tailored specifically to transform the client’s outdoor area into their desired serene setting. If a client’s outdoor space is uneven or hilly, Landscape Therapy HG still reports success with constructing the outdoor area of their client’s dreams. Non-traditional backyards are Gardner’s favorite type to design, proving that this company has experience in working with a wide variety of outdoor spaces.

Landscape Therapy HG took off after Gardner began to work on transforming his own home into the perfect living space. Previously, Gardner had done aquascaping work in his personal aquariums, giving him some background and experience in spatial design. However, he had never considered outdoor landscaping until he began working to improve his own outdoor space. Gardner’s efforts caught his neighbor’s interest and helping them out with their homes turned into him realizing just how high of a demand there was for landscaping and outdoor living services. Before he knew it, Gardner was the CEO of his own business.

Before Landscape Therapy HG transformed from a spur-ofthe-moment idea, to the company that it is today, Gardner worked as an Agriculturalist and Environmental Protection Specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture for over nine years. Although Gardner had never considered outdoor landscaping previously, nature has always been something that he has deeply cared for, driving his passion in his current work.

In speaking on what nature means to him, Gardner said, “It’s almost like a retreat outside of your home, or just a natural place to clear your mind; an escape from the real world.