skip to main content

Gardening as therapy

17 years ago

Hi there

I am looking for some ideas to encourage elderly people with some activities to do with plants. In the hope of putting a smile on their face, and doing something creative.

I wonder if anybody knows of anything like this, perhaps in a nursing home environment, or retirement home.

I need some ideas on how to get the ball rolling, how to approach establishments, and what sort of activity would work best.

I am thinking something like doing cuttings, and potting them up, and each resident could have the plant in their room. I dont know...any better suggestions.

Thanks for your help.

Popi

I have training in Horticulture.

Comment (1)

agnespuffin
17 years ago
In the nursing homes, who do you think will take care of watering and tending those plants in the room? You can bet that few of the patients would be able to do it, either physically or mentally. Anyone that is still capable of having plants and caring for them, most likely already has a few in the room.

You would also have a problem with available light. It will vary from room to room. And what if water is spilled on the floor as a patient tries to water the plant? That's very likely to happen. And then a patient slips in the water? What you want to do would require more work from the staff. Practically all such homes are understaffed. They really don't need to watch after your plants. As far as cuttings, some of the patients won't live long enough to see them root.

I know you mean well, but what you are thinking about simply isn't a good idea on several levels. Not to mention the sorrow that a patient might feel should their plant die.

May I suggest that if you are interested in brightening their day, check with the administation and see if there is an area where the patients can go to sit and look at special arrangements of some sort. Container gardens, etc. Ferns and blooming flowers with lots of color add so much. Annuals would probably be the best. You could put in new ones as the older ones finished blooming. I am sure that the administration would want you to see that the plants were properly maintained. They are not going to agree to assign staff to do it.

This is a very thoughtful thing for you to want to do, it's just not practical.
Related Discussions
Needed some garden therapy, so I did a dumb thing...
Q
Comments (5)
All of the above. Ditto, ditto, ditto - Sometimes I feel like people on this board are reading my mind... 2009 season - outstanding peony poppies 2010 season - unhappy, rapid bloom to demise poppies. I think I had one week that they looked stunning. Fungus on rudbeckia: The goldstrums are fine but the ones with the softer, fuzzier leaves that I love - ynaked almost all of them today. Nasties - If they could, they'd get up and walk themselves to the shade of a tree. I wanted to lots of it in fronts of beads this year too. I direct planted, they sprouted fine and did great till we hit this dry/hot spell. We had our first rain in a month here today and boy did they look happy. (I have irrigation but these guys seem to always prefer rain falling formt he sky.
...See More
Garden Therapy
Q
Comments (6)
While gardening soothes my soul in many ways, the one I think I appreciate the most is the opportunity it provides on a social level. It allows you to make a connection with another human being who truly understands your passion for all things garden related. Many years ago when I had just moved into a new community, I discovered one of my neighbors had an amazing garden. Being shy, I decided to keep walking past the home in the hopes that one day I would spot the gardener working in that lovely garden. Sure enough, one day I found the man that had created the beauty and I got up the courage to say "Hello". We became instant garden friends; trading plants as often as we traded garden stories. He has since passed on, but the plants and seeds he gave me have helped to keep his memory alive for me.
...See More
Gardening is therapy-Succulent question
Q
Comments (3)
The Pleiospilos does not belong with the others. It needs a deep pot to accommodate the long roots, and it tends to be more active from late summer into wintertime and thus needs to be watered and given as much sun as possible during that time. It will not look good long-term if grown otherwise, instead you will have a plant that just "survives". It should flower every year when healthy. My plants bloom during the winter or very early spring. After flowering, watering is reduced significantly until late summer when more frequent watering resumes. During the spring and summer new bodies grow as they utilize the moisture from the old leaves. If they are watered too much during this time, the old leaves will not resorb and the plant will not have its characteristic appearance. Pleiospilos bolusii superficially is similar to P. nelii except that it is much more likely to be a summer grower and is more compatible with the sedums, although I still would not plant them together. The bolusii flower has a wonderful coconut fragrance unlike anything I have ever smelled, it is worth growing just to experience the scent.
...See More
Garden Therapy
Q
Comments (4)
Thanks everyone! And, I knew what you meant, Marica! :) I had some reward for my efforts early this morning. My feeder was full of birds -- even my Conure parrots are back. I think it is because I filled the feeder with sunflower seeds this time. There were two mockingbirds in the yard as well. I just love their bird song.
...See More

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Actaea Racemosa

By Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

Elegant flowers top black cohosh in summer woodland gardens

MOST POPULAR How to Start a Cool-Season Vegetable Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

Late summer and late winter are good times to plan and plant cool-season crops like salad greens, spinach, beets, carrots and peas

PLANTING IDEAS Ferns: A Shade Gardener’s Best Friend

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Bring rich texture and contrast to a dark woodland landscape with wonderfully diverse ferns

GARDENING GUIDES How I Learned to Be an Imperfect Gardener

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Letting go can lead to a deeper level of gardening and a richer relationship with the landscape. Here's how one nature lover did it

DIY PROJECTS Holiday DIY: Mason Jar Forced Bulbs and Evergreen Gift Tags

Learn how to make these winter projects from the book ‘Garden Made’ by Stephanie Rose

GARDENING GUIDES A Mom, a Garden and a Gift for the Neighbors

By Steve Asbell

Gardening can be therapeutic in unexpected ways. See how one gardener found peace and purpose in a patch of Florida soil

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Garden Musts for April

There's plenty to do in your garden this month without mucking around in the mud. Think seeds and let the rain do its work

EDIBLE GARDENS Food and Community Thrive in a U.K. Allotment Garden

By Annie Thornton

Get a peek at a rented garden plot in England where edibles and flowers mix and local residents can mingle

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Invaluable Life Lessons From the Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

The garden is both teacher and healer. Don't be afraid — dig in and reap the benefits

GARDENING GUIDES The Quotable Garden: Writings That Will Grab Your Heart

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Maybe you’ll see yourself in these reflections. Or maybe you’ll find a whole new way of looking at gardening

Sponsored