Many of our residents have enjoyed a love of gardens and gardening throughout their lives. To ensure this passion continues, we strive to make our outdoor spaces accessible, interactive, and stimulating. At the same time, we encourage residents to take a keen interest themselves.

“Our residents love their gardens as tranquil, nurturing places in which to enjoy peace and quiet, take a morning or evening stroll, and observe the visiting wildlife and birds,” explains Senior Gardener Chris Marsh. For some, gardens also afford an active opportunity to maintain those green fingers in tune with the changing seasons.

This is typically done in gardening clubs, in which residents come together with the support of the home’s gardener and Companionship Team to do gardening and horticultural tasks.

“These can involve everything from making hanging baskets to planting seeds or bulbs to taking cuttings for potting up, whatever is appropriate for the time of year,” says Chris. “An autumn task at our New Forest home, Woodpeckers, for instance, saw residents take the last of the season’s Salvia cuttings to look after in their new greenhouse. Come spring, the new growths will be potted up, nurtured, and made ready to sell on the charity plant stall during the home’s 2024 open days under the National Garden Scheme.”

In another example of garden club activity, residents at Lymington’s Belmore Lodge used natural materials from their garden to help make Christmas garlands to adorn the front door of the home.

It is up to each home to decide how often its gardening club should meet. “At our Winchester dementia care home, St Catherines View, there is usually a garden club once a week. The seasonal themes of the club help orientate the residents to appreciate the time of year. There is generally a themed bed to reflect calendar occasions such as harvest festival, Halloween, Christmas, or Easter. There is always a focal point for residents to investigate and explore.”

Making seasonal raised beds or planting bulbs in a pot helps give residents a sense of ownership in the garden. They can venture out with their visiting families and show off their handiwork, a lovely excuse to go outdoors and keep active.

“The culture of the garden is so important for residents’ wellbeing. Involvement in garden clubs, or one-to-one interaction with the gardeners, injects positive energy to the day, lifting spirits,” says Chris.

The sense of pride is further celebrated whenever a home is selected to host public open days as part of the National Garden Scheme (NGS). As well as Woodpeckers, Brook View was a venue in 2023 and both homes, plus Kingfishers in New Milton, will feature in 2024. “We receive such warm feedback from NGS regional representatives. They are typically very impressed and that is testament to the quality of the garden and the hard work and commitment that goes into planning and preparation.”

Find out more about a role as a care home gardener here.

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