The purpose of this preference study is to identify the effects that the presence of a healing garden may have, on the perceived stress of African American women living in in low-income public housing. Literature states that women who live in public housing experience higher rates of malnutrition, fatigue, susceptibility to infection, and premature death (Adler et al., 1994; Whelch and Kneipp, 2005). Few of these studies address healing gardens as solutions. The explanation of behavior while visiting a healing garden in this study will help to identify particular aspects of gardens that are perceived as therapeutic. This research compared two groups of women residing in low-income public housing, where they were asked to rate their perceived level of stress throughout intervals of the study. Findings suggest that the presence of healing gardens in low-income public housing developments can be an effective stress management tool for African American women.