Capturing Gardening Passions
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INTRODUCTION: HORTICULTURE THERAPY GARDENING FOR THE DISABLED AND DIS-ADVANTAGED
(please excuse spelling and grammar errors as the author is visually impaired)
Horticulture therapy is an innovative treatment method using plants and plant-related activities to improve the physical, social, educational, psychological and physical adjustment of an individual, thus improving the mind, body and spirit.
It has been used to improve mobility, balance, endurance, social participation and memory skills, concentration as well as muscle strengthening.
By caring for plants , individuals work with a product firmly anchored in reality. the people struggling in life get a hands on connection with nature and the circle of life.
I trust the stories below will touch your heart and encourage you, as a gardener to continue your pursuit for peace and contentment.
Story Number 1:
A Harvest only in a Nova Scotian Style:
August of last year marks my introduction to a gardening project of a very different, therapeutic and very practical fashion. This story takes place on one of several balconies at the facility in which my Mother was a patient, namely the Veteran's Memorial Hospital in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Despite Mother facing the end of life, as we know it, and with nearly no physical and cognitive function from the rage of Alzheimer's Disease, we (the Elliott Family) held a small celebratory birthday gathering on a reserved balcony at this nursing facility. The balconies of that particular facility were rather extraordinary -- oh so pleasing to the mind and spirit....each dripping with the beauty, scents and lush greenery of a balcony garden that one would see in a high end decorating book.
Each balcony had long window boxes along each rail and their bounty was incredible. The colorful eye-catching plants framed by greenery was a sight to behold. A passing gardener was asked how all this came about as it would be volunteers who managed these projects. Her response was that a team of volunteers came together for the purpose of establishing beautiful balconies encircled by color of all hews, textures and tastes....it presented a distraction for patients and encouragement to be out-of-doors and many of whom helped in the actual planting.
We asked if the gardener would join us .... she did so but said she had only a moment or two. She did share a story that truly touched my heart.
A Feast: She described a feast they had the week before Mother's birthday...everything at the feast table was from the plants they grew. One of the Veterans called upon some of his fishing buddies and they provided the group fresh haddock. This gift was the last touching detail to a wonderful event.....only such an event in the manner of Nova Scotians.....a population of good food, fun and everyone taking care of someone else.
Dessert:
The cobbler ingredients for dessert was that of strawberry and late growing rhubarb.
Beverage:
A rhubarb punch was described as absolutely delicious
Story number two
A Family Spirit
My second story is a heart-warming, nature's awareness story that involves a knowledgeable and creative gardener who is also a teacher and friend. My friend is always in a teaching mode and graciously shares her stories as a teacher. Gardening was her summer time passion and worked hard to prepare a garden space in her front yard.
This new development created a buzz in the community of neighbourhood children. The neighbourhood was buzzing with students who were enjoying their summer holidays.
My friend also had some spare time and made the best of it in her garden. On one occasion, while turning the soil to create a good bed for her plants, she encountered several children carefully watching her activities in her front yard. When turning over the soil to ensure the best opportunity for seeds to grow and produce a wide range of vegetables and fruit was all a mystery to the children.
My friend noticed these little ones would be engrossed with what she was doing and being the teacher she is, the children were invited to come to the garden edge and watch as small (oh, so small) seeds were carefully placed in the soil. She gave the children the assignment to come by her home to ensure her garden was not disrupted in some manner. They loved their new role.
These children never missed a day and when something would poke itself above the soil, with great excitement, they were eager to find my friend so that the could show her planting was making its way above the soil. The excitement and vigilance was contagious.
As each plant became well rooted and foliage showing, my friend pointed out to the children that in about 10 days they could help her pick some radish and chives. Most of these daily visitors and inspectors were astounded when my friend explained that the green plants, making their way through the soil, would soon become eatable.
The children were fascinated and some were quite concerned that they eat "stuff" that comes from the ground. My friend ensured she would have two buckets of water - one to clean what they had carefully removed from the soil and their hands in a second container. This was done to encourage the children to actually eat what they picked. The sense of disbelief took quite some time for a few of the children -- they were intimidated to test the outcomes.
Once all the children were comfortable with this concept, they could hardly wait to pick their favourite string beans and peas in a shell (pod).
I so hope the families of these children took their garden experience home and encouraged their families to do the same. The exposure that these little ones experienced will never be forgotten and very likely have a small vegetable garden in their yard.
Bless you my Friend - do enjoy the fact that you have introduced these children and others to a hands on experience and with that a connection with nature and circle of life.
Story Number 3
My Grandfather's Legacy
This is one plant that has always been close to my heart. It is one of many plants in my first garden at the age of 10 years young.
My Grandfather was a farmer for many of his early family years. He had an incredible knowledge of all aspects of horticulture which I fully expect comes from personal experience as well as a few family farmer secrets..
In the back yard of my Parent's home there was a beech tree - a beautiful tree for shade and in a location where it provided an absolute peace. Grampie (as he was affectionaly named by Grandchildren) asked Mother if she would mind him digging up the soil under the beech tree and help me create a small flower garden. Grampie suggest a few perenials as well as annuals. Gardening quickly became my passion and the nightly watering was such a great way to end a day....a closing of peace.
During one hot summer weather I was attending a Guiding camp and worried each day about my newly planted pansies....Grampie, realizing my interest in the growth of the seeds I planted, came to the family home to water my flower bed in my absence.
In the early cold spring of the following year, I was most impatient with the weather and wanted to begin gardening once agian. Ironically, during the early weeks of a cold spell, Grampie was asked to look after a hot house of a friend and on two occasions gathered me up to take me down to a magnificant and incredible sight. I would stand in awe as we entered this sanctuary. As Grampie tended each section of the plants I was permitted to walk about on my own and just before we left he would take me by the hand and answer questions that had come to me as I toured the entire greenhouse.
Oh how sweet the scent was as Grampie opened the door to the greehouse. There was a generous supply of poinsetta in bloon - a regal display !! for the fist time I had the opportunity to see a Mexican catus with an amazing flower.
My trips to the greenhouse rekindled my interest in gardening. Grampie had sent for several seed catalogues and it was this that enabled me to wait for the better weather.
Only weeks later, Grampie could find me turning the soil and placing some dried seaweed as a strategy to add nurtients to the soil. He was impressed and proud that I would move forward and apply technques from a book in the library.
Gardening had become a passion that I fortunately was able to dabble in until I found a home and a yard to accommodate a garden of my dreams. I was living in British Columbia at the time and very much looking forward to a visit by my Patents and Grandfather. I could hardly wait for the opportunity to tour the property with Grampie and make some decisions pertaining to gardens and gaining knowledge as to what was growing as well as suggestions for new plants.
Like Mother, I truly enjoyed roses of all colors and shapes and after sharing that with Grampie, he offered to show me how to graft a rose bush and produce something very personal. {That project continues to provide me great memories}. After working on the actual woody portion of the rose bush (a fascinating task) Grampie asked if I had any names in mind for the rose we would produce....after some thought I called it Britianna - a name of where my Dad's family roots were.
Many years later, I had a need to return to Nova Scotia and re-locate in my native province and truly did not want to leave Britianna behind in British Columbia. I consulted Grampie and he described what he would do if he were in my shoes. I followed his instructions by the letter and the moment I reached home, I planted it in a spot that Grampie had prepared to receive it...after seen it, he felt it would survive. Fortunately it was near Mother's rose garden - a spectacular sight at that !!.
As the years past, Parents were beginning to experience the aging process and had less energy to manage gardens etc. Mother fortunately kept her roses in good condition and after Dad passed from struggles with Cancer we came up with the idea that we would graft a rose in a tribute to Dad. On this occasion, I did not have Grampie as a coach so was delighted that it began to show signs of new growth. Once it was established, Mother called upon her friends and with great grace she planted the grafted section of two of her bushes. A Minister from the neighbourhood was present to say a prayer for Dad.....it was an event so fitting for both my late Grandfather and Father. I now realize that we did not give that grafted rose a formal and registered name however there is comfort in knowing that there is a rosebush out there and very likely the pride of its keeper.
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Such are three stories of how the experience of gardening, when embraced, becomes the circle of life.....Nightingale
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