How to start a Garden Club for Seniors

Hi Lizzie

Great idea thanks for sharing

Hello we have had a indoor garden activity where we were sowing sunflower seeds. Each resident put one sunflower seed in a pot of compost, we labeled each pot with the residents name. Later we will see who's sunflower grows the biggest and they will receive a prize. Fingers crossed they all grow!

Our residents love being out i the garden , the sunflowers from seeds grew really well ,herb garden done , vegetable garden also

I have been searching for a fun project related to gardening for my "Garden Club" at a Health Care Facility. It's the 3rd week of January and I'm running out of ideas. This sounds like a fun project - I think you just saved the day for me!!

We had a Broad Bean Growing Competition ! No Garden Required

We had everyone grow a broad bean in an enclosed snap lock bag - I got the idea from my daughters primary school.

Each person selects their own bean - and gives it a name for a bit of fun (eg. "Baked Bean, "Has Bean" these were funny ones).

The bean is placed in a clear snap lock bag with a bit of moistened paper towel - make sure bag is sealed. Write both persons name and the beans name on the bag.

We stuck the bags to the window where everyone could stop and see if their bean was growing - and a sign - we had it as our "Christmas Bean Growing Competition".

Some had doubts to the beans growing - but they do !

As they started to grow there was more and more interest in the beans and everyone became excited.

After about two weeks we gave out certificates to the largest three and an encouragement award.

i emailed all our team members at The Heights, and asked for donations of workboots, kids rain boots, old running shoes etc. i got a GREAT variety...i drilled holes in the soles of the shoes/boots put a layer of rocks, filled with potting soil and then planted basket stuffers in them...(violas, alyssum, dianthus, marigolds, petunias etc. then put them out in the garden beds around the patio that presently is full of lush GREEN plants this really has given the residents something to admire daily, as well as look after, and talk about with friends, family or other team members that come to visit. The left over flowers we had have since been planted in our raised garden beds.

I agree Tina, I have two Men residents, originally from Italy, who are passionate about growing their vegetable garden in pots. They now go out daily to water and check their plants. Their families are delighted to be involved too. It has been a worthwhile activity.

I also started a garden club in our high low dementia facility just over a year ago. You will be suprised at the wealth of knowledge that some of your residents have in gardening. Some of your residents bought their families up on the food they grew. The remenincsing output is exciting for all envolved.

The satisfaction that a non-ambulant resident with advanced dementia can get, just from sitting in a chair and watering the garden is phenominal. The sound of the hose, the sound as the water hits the leaves, the smell in the air if the water hits a warm path, the early morning sun and the clean sping air can bring a smile to that lovely old face and visually you can watch their bodies relax as a beautiful calm comes over them.

We have transformed a very ugly weedy garden into a colourful and fragrant garden. We have 2 waist high mobile gardens that are fantastic for the ellderly and are hoping to get more.The residents and their families love to sit out there just to look at the pretty flowers. We also have a large variety of herbs in pots which the residents really enjoy smelling.We grow some seasonal vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes,beans, strawberries and cucumbers. Gardening is a weekly activity with a couple of afternoon sessions thrown in throughout the week for our active afternoon residents. I cant say enough about the benifits gardening has for our residents.

We have created a small garden at our facility. The first one was with many scented herbs and bright flowers. With a change of residents who are more abled bodied, we now have strawberries, veggies and herbs that they can eat. It's a excuse to get residents out of the facility to enjoy some sunshine and get some exercise. To keep costs down we grew plants from cuttings, asked within the community to give us seeds and I would visit the clearance corner at our local nursery. A very rewarding project for everyone.

What an excellent idea. We are planning an accessible garden at our land council. Your tips are really helpful

Cheers