Objective In response to the effects of rapid urbanization and the COVID-19 pandemic on China, in July 2022, the forest-garden healthcare practitioner was formally added to the “Occupational Classification System of the People’s Republic of China” as a officially recognized occupation, providing new opportunities and challenges for the landscape architecture industry.

Methods/process This research clarifies the definition, main tasks and knowledge structure system of the occupation of garden healthcare practitioner from an interdisciplinary perspective. The “garden healthcare practitioner” is defined as “healthcare personnel providing health services for sub-healthy or healthy people by using the five-sense stimulation, horticultural therapy, landscape therapy and other healthcare therapy theories and technical methods with green plants as the main element”. A garden healthcare practitioner has seven primary tasks: 1) Collect health information from people with healthcare needs, analyze and evaluate their health status, and develop a landscape therapy program (green prescription) by means of health testing equipment, health assessment scales, etc.; 2) analyze the physical and mental health status, as well as the behavioral characteristics of children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and people suffering from chronic diseases, geriatric diseases, mental diseases, etc., based on which formulate healthcare programs involving non-drug therapy, rehabilitation, decompression, healthcare, and health preservation; 3) provide physiological, psychological and spiritual rehabilitation services by stimulating the senses of smell, taste, touch, hearing and vision using fragrant flowers, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits and other plants; 4) provide physical, psychological, spiritual, cognitive, social, and other health services through flower art, bonsai, flower recipes, meditation, gardening, pastoral work and other operational therapies; 5) choose any such environment as balcony, roof garden, private garden, community garden, green space, plateau or wilderness for horticultural therapy, environmental therapy, or other healthcare services in combination with specific population groups; 6) guide the planning, design, construction and management of garden therapy and horticultural therapy facilities; 7) analyze healthcare effects, adjust and optimize healthcare plans, and provide consultation for customers. In addition, the research reviews the guiding significance of gardening and horticulture, traditional Chinese medicine, and health preservation culture to garden healthcare in China from the perspective of integrating the ancient and the present. The rich landscape architecture culture and horticulture culture of China, as reflected in numerous famous gardens, classical gardening and horticulture works, skilled craftsmen, plentiful ornamental plant resources, etc., lay the foundation for the professionalization of garden healthcare in China. Traditional Chinese medicine culture also contributes to the professionalization of garden healthcare in China by providing a wealth of plant knowledge, the traditional cognition of human physiology, the dialectical, constant and holistic way of thinking, and the life philosophy of “living in harmony with nature”. Moreover, traditional health practice activities and methods, such as living health, spiritual health, sports health, diet health, medicine health, acupuncture health and massage health, provide guidance for the professionalization of garden healthcare in China. The research also summarizes the training certification system in the United States and Japan from the perspective of west-east integration. Professionalism is required for therapists to serve society, and qualification certification is a symbol of professionalism. In addition to the US horticultural therapist training certification system, the Japanese system is also worth learning.

Results/conclusion The research has the following conclutions. First, in-depth scientific research on garden landscape and horticultural therapy should be conducted in the future, which should involve the basic theoretical exploration on the relationship between landscape elements and human physiological and psychological health, the impact of the spatial composition of landscape on human physiological and psychological health, the relationship between horticultural activities and human physiological and psychological health, and the physiological and psychological conditions of special population groups receiving the horticultural therapy. Second, the group and national professional standards for garden healthcare practitioners should be established. Third, garden healthcare practitioner training should be expanded in relevant colleges and universities by offering courses on horticultural therapy and garden healthcare in majors involving agriculture, forestry, healthcare, social welfare, etc., and by setting up practical training classes on horticultural therapy and garden healthcare to cultivate professionals. Fourth, a strict garden healthcare practitioner certification system should be established by specifying the certification implementation agency, establishing a qualified training team, developing a systematic curriculum system, carrying out strict process management, building high-quality training bases, and clarifying employing entites. The training bases may include botanical gardens, parks, forest parks and other public green spaces, as well as horticultural therapy areas (corners) and garden healthcare areas therein. In addition, there are special horticultural therapy gardens and garden healthcare environments set up in nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, reeducation centers, and even administrative offices, which may also serve as the aforesaid training bases. The employing entites may include parks, urban farms, hospitals or rehabilitation centers, social education centers, health institutions, charitable organizations, schools, special schools for the disabled, nursing homes, prisons, etc. Meanwhile, business supervision should be strengthened following the objective of improving China’s forest-garden healthcare system through continuous innovation and development.