Horticulture
Horticulture at OSB is more than learning how plants grow.
It is a hands-on way for students to explore the natural world, practice meaningful skills, build confidence and experience the satisfaction of caring for something over time.
Through horticultural therapy, gardening, food production and vocational experiences, students who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind can engage with plants through touch, smell, sound and available vision while working toward individual educational and developmental goals.
Growing Skills Through Horticultural Therapy
Horticultural therapy uses plants and gardening activities to support purposeful student goals.
At OSB, activities can be adapted to complement areas addressed through physical, occupational and other therapeutic and educational services.
Students may plant seeds, transplant seedlings, water crops, harvest produce, arrange flowers or explore plants with different textures and scents. Each activity provides a meaningful context for practicing skills rather than working on them in isolation.
The goal looks different for every student. For one student, horticulture may provide an opportunity to practice reaching and grasping. For another, it may mean independently completing a multi-step task, maintaining a garden or developing skills that could translate to future employment.
OSB has incorporated horticultural therapy into the program since the Horticulture Education Center opened, with activities designed to connect therapeutic goals to functional, hands-on experiences.
Horticulture experiences may support:
- Fine and gross motor development
- Reaching, grasping and coordination
- Sensory exploration
- Sequencing and problem-solving
- Communication and social interaction
- Responsibility and decision-making
- Emotional regulation and engagement
- Daily living and independence skills
- Career exploration and workplace routines
Meet Rich Matteo
Horticultural Therapist
Rich Matteo leads horticultural therapy and hands-on plant experiences at OSB, helping students engage with nature in ways that are accessible, purposeful and connected to their individual goals.
Rich attended Temple University and completed a horticultural therapy internship at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital before earning professional registration through the American Horticultural Therapy Association in 2019. He went on to develop OSB’s horticultural therapy program and today works with students across age groups and ability levels.
His work extends throughout the OSB campus, including sensory, vegetable and floral gardens, the greenhouse and OSB’s orchard. Students can participate in everything from propagation and plant care to floral projects, produce harvesting and vocational experiences.
The M. Christine Murphy Horticulture Education Center
The M. Christine Murphy Horticulture Education Center provides a dedicated, accessible environment for horticultural learning throughout the year.
Opened in 2019 and named in memory of former OSB Trustee M. Christine Murphy, the 1,780-square-foot Center includes a fully accessible greenhouse and an adjoining accessible classroom. It was created to support horticultural therapy, Farm-to-Table education, vocational preparation and opportunities for students to develop a lasting connection with nature.
Inside the Center, students can experience the complete growing process—from planting a seed and caring for a young plant to harvesting, using or sharing what they have grown.
Sustainability Built Into the Center
Sustainability was part of the Horticulture Education Center from its earliest design, giving OSB the opportunity to pair environmental responsibility with hands-on education. The Center earned LEED v4 Gold certification and incorporates systems designed to conserve water, reduce energy use and lessen its environmental impact.
From Sensory Exploration to Independence
Plants naturally invite exploration. Their textures, fragrances, shapes, temperatures and changes over time give students multiple ways to gather information and participate.
Students might compare the texture of different leaves, identify an herb by scent, feel where a seed should be placed in soil, locate ripe produce or follow the steps required to care for a plant.
These experiences can be adapted according to each student’s vision, sensory access, physical abilities, communication needs and educational goals.
That makes horticulture particularly valuable at OSB: the same activity can provide very different opportunities for different students.
Preparing for Work Through Horticulture
For older students, horticulture can become a setting for career exploration & job preparation.
Students may practice:
- Following multi-step directions
- Arriving prepared for a task
- Organizing tools and materials
- Planting and maintaining crops
- Preparing flowers or plants for display
- Harvesting and packaging produce
- Working safely and efficiently
- Communicating with supervisors and peers
- Completing a task from beginning to end
Rich’s horticulture program has also incorporated an on-campus floral shop and internship opportunities, allowing students to experience how skills developed through horticulture can connect with workplace expectations.
Growing Beyond the Greenhouse
Horticulture at OSB extends throughout campus.
Students help care for vegetable, sensory and floral gardens as well as OSB’s established orchard. Produce grown on campus has also created opportunities to give back. In one especially abundant season, Rich reported that approximately 300 pounds of plums and peaches were harvested in a single week and distributed to community kitchens, apartment buildings and churches.
Experiences like these help students see the larger cycle of horticulture: grow something, care for it, harvest it and find a meaningful way to use or share it.
The Philadelphia Flower Show
OSB students also have opportunities to take their horticultural work beyond campus through participation in the Philadelphia Flower Show.
Under Rich’s guidance, students care for plants over time and prepare entries for exhibition and judging. The process encourages consistency, patience and attention to detail while giving students the opportunity to share work they are proud of with a much larger community.
A Place to Grow
Years after the Horticulture Education Center first opened its doors, its purpose continues to extend far beyond the plants growing inside it.
A seed can become an opportunity to practice fine motor skills. Caring for a garden can build responsibility. Harvesting produce can lead to a lesson about nutrition or community. Maintaining plants can introduce a student to a possible career.
Through horticulture, students have the opportunity to see something tangible happen because of their own care, choices and effort—and to carry those skills and experiences well beyond the greenhouse.
Support Horticulture at OSB
Community support helps OSB provide accessible tools, seeds, plants and supplies; care for gardens and growing spaces; and continue expanding horticultural, therapeutic and vocational opportunities for students.
To learn more about supporting the Horticulture program, contact the OSB Development Office at 215-877-0313, ext. 264.
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