Inheriting through greenery to let life continue to bloom

Hello everyone,

Taking up the role of President of the Hong Kong Association of Therapeutic Horticulture (HKATH) in March 2026, I am deeply honored and fully recognize the heavy responsibility of carrying forward this legacy. Therapeutic horticulture has grown from a tiny seed into a fruitful tree. Since the Association’s establishment in 2008, under the attentive cultivation of our Founding President, Ms. Connie Fung, therapeutic horticulture in Hong Kong has grown robustly into a grand tree that shelters many souls. Here, I would like to pay my highest tribute to Connie, who has recently stepped down to serve as Honorary President, and express my gratitude for her selfless dedication and leadership over the years, which laid such a solid professional foundation for us.

“Inherit” is not merely a handover of positions, but a continuation of our belief in the healing power of nature. Just as plant growth requires the flow of the four seasons, professional development also requires generational transition and shared progress. The new Board of Directors will uphold the Association’s consistent professional spirit, preserving the fruits of our predecessors’ labor while injecting new vitality and creativity.

Looking ahead, I hope that during my tenure, we can achieve:

• Professional deepening and certification: Continuously refine the training and professional certification mechanism for horticultural therapists, inheriting and enhancing professional standards so that therapeutic horticulture gains broader recognition in Hong Kong’s medical, social welfare, and educational sectors.
• Cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation: Actively promote the cross-disciplinary integration of therapeutic horticulture with public health, life education, and other professions, allowing therapeutic horticulture to assist a wider demographic.
• Community outreach and care: Drive community gardening and senior care services, focusing on modern mental health so that individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and needs can find inner peace and life value through interaction with plants.

The wonder of therapeutic horticulture lies in the fact that while we care for plants, they silently heal us. In the days ahead, I look forward to walking hand in hand with every member, therapist, and student aspiring to join therapeutic horticulture. Like gardeners, let us carry humility and patience to continue sowing seeds of green, sharing love and hope across Hong Kong, and jointly creating a more impactful profession.

Wishing you all health amid the greenery, and witnessing beauty throughout life!

Tam Sau Han Maia
Registered Horticultural Therapist (Supervisor, HKATH), Registered Social Worker
President, Hong Kong Association of Therapeutic Horticulture

(Become Honorary President after the 2026 Annual General Meeting)

The 10^th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Association of Therapeutic Horticulture

Established in January 2008, in a blink of an eye, Hong Kong Association of Therapeutic Horticulture (HKATH) has approached the 10th anniversary. Looking back how HKATH introduced the concept of horticultural therapy from overseas and took root in Hong Kong, it just like happened yesterday.  With the effort of the colleagues and members of HKATH during these 10 years, horticultural therapy is gaining popularity in Hong Kong. It is very encouraging to see that various health and social welfare organizations have started adopting horticultural therapy as one of their service delivery modes.

However, although awareness of horticultural therapy has increased a lot, its professionalism and recognition are not solid enough. One of our visions, based on the stringent training mechanism of HKATH, is facilitating the professionalism of horticultural therapy practitioners. Indeed, “PEOPLE” is a key factor to the sustainable growth of the horticultural therapy industry, talent development is undoubtedly one of the priorities in HKATH. Nowadays, there are HT courses offered by other institutions in HK. Comparing with them, the course requirements of HKATH’s are the most demanding. It is because our curriculum is modelled from the well-established and accredited courses of the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA). A very important and unique feature of our system is that learners are required to complete a supervised internship in various organizations in order to be qualified for professional registrations. This allows learners to put the theory into practice, serve the community and accumulate experience in one go. Each of our professional Registered Horticultural Therapists (RHT) has gained over 500 hours of theory studying and internship. We believe it is only through such intensive training to ensure that the learners are well-equipped before taking up a professional role to provide quality service for different target groups. Further on the road toward professionalism, an RHT who wants to join us in training aspect and promoting HT can become a supervisor or an instructor by continuing to accumulate practical experience and attending HKATH’s advanced courses. In addition to offering training courses, HKATH also provides platform for HT practitioners and learners at different levels to interact and exchange with overseas counterparts by organizing or participating in international conferences.  These occasions allow members to widen their horizon and upgrade their professional expertise. I believe that, in order to face challenges and keep progress, everyone in the HT industry should take continuing professional learning and skills upgrading more seriously, to acquire new skills and expertise so as to perform our professional roles in an effective way and deliver the professionalism at the highest standards.