Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria Inc Newsletter - 2014 - Issue 4 Faversham House Aged Care Sensory Garden We should now be enjoying all the summer colour of the garden. The trees are in leaf and the roses are still blooming. Hopefully all the hard work in the garden has been done, but there is still a need to top up the mulch for the summer heat yet to come. It s also time to start harvesting summer vegetables. The Sensory Garden plant this issue is the Pelargonium. Also in this issue are articles from our conference held at Basscare in Canterbury on 14 th November. Best wishes for a safe and happy Holiday season. Paul de la Motte 1
Plants for Sensory and Therapeutic Gardens By Paul de la Motte Common Names: Pelargonium Botanical Name: Pelargonium sp. Other names: Geranium Varieties: P. crispum (Lemon scented geranium) P. graveolens (Rose scented geranium) P. tomentosum (Peppermint geranium) Many hybrids Family: Geraniaceae Often confused with true geraniums, Pelargoniums are small to medium sized perennials that require full sun or part shade and come in a range of colours, including white, pink, red and burgundy. Many have variegated and patterned leaves. Lemon Scented Geranium [Geraniums are most easily distinguished from pelargoniums in that their flowers are more symmetrical such as Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)] Pelaroniums have many sensory attributes including colour and the texture and scent of their leaves. Peppermint Geranium The lemon scented, rose and peppermint varieties are worthwhile additions to any sensory garden due to their delightfully perfumed leaves. The leaves of the peppermint geranium make it a favourite as the large leaves also have a furry texture. Pelargoniums are easy to grow and are easily propagated from cuttings at any time of year. There are a huge range of hybrid varieties that can offer almost constant year round flowering. With minimal maintenance pelargoniums brighten up any garden with masses of colour and interesting textures and scents. 2
2014 State Conference The HTAV Conference was conducted at Basscare, in Rochester Rd, Canterbury on Friday 14 th November. The conference attracted speakers from Casey Council describing their garden programs, the Botanic Garden in Cranbourne discussing their pop up garden, Sambell Lodge, Sunshine Hospital, Cultivating Community as well as Paul de la Motte talking about Therapeutic Gardens in India. The following stories are some of the gardens visited on the tour and some details on presentations from the conference. The HTAV Therapeutic Garden Tour visited Sunshine Hospital, Collingwood College, Collingwood Community Garden, Sambell Lodge Aged Care and the Fenton Reserve community park. Collingwood Community Garden The newly redeveloped Community Garden in Collingwood is situated at the base of high rise residential units and features a number of raised garden beds which are leased by residents, who grow vegetables and flowers. There are water storage tanks, a sink for washing produce and a large undercover area that can be used for social gatherings or a shelter area. A new state of the art chook pen has been constructed although not yet in use. The paths are made of a fine, well compacted gravel which is inexpensive and also suitable for wheelchairs. The garden is one of a number of Community Gardens, in and around Melbourne which are administered by Cultivating Community Inc. Raised beds and the Meeting Area The new chicken pen 3
Collingwood College The next garden visited was the kitchen garden at the Collingwood College, a P to 12 Government school which is located on Hoddle Street, just opposite the Town Hall. The Kitchen Garden Program was first established in 2001 at Collingwood College, as an experiential learning pilot program by Stephanie Alexander and Collingwood College. Each week 180 children in Grades 3 to 6 spend forty five minutes gardening in their organic vegetable garden and orchard which they helped to design and build and now maintain in the school grounds. The children also spend one and a half hours each week in the new purpose designed and built kitchen, preparing and sharing a delicious seasonally inspired menu created from their produce. The culmination of this experiential learning model is the sharing and eating together at the end of each lesson. A recent initiative is the self-watering milk crate garden which is located on the roof. Portable gardens are created in a milk crate lined with hessian and filled with soil with a basic wicker watering system using a recycled milk bottle. The crates are light and easily portable, so can be taken home by students over the vacation breaks. The milk crate garden beds located on the roof Collingwood College Kitchen Garden 4
The Australian Garden, Melbourne Botanical Gardens, Cranbourne. Mandy Thompson discussed the new Pop-up garden project established at the Cranbourne annex of the Melbourne Botanical garden. The following is a summary of the project provided by Mandy. Popping-up in the Australian Garden The Pop-up Community Garden, Black Swans, Scarecrows and all have been a very big hit with our community and visitors this spring. Our divisional Curatorial Management Planning process for the How to Garden and Promenade Plaza in Australian Garden pointed to the need to animate this space to bring it to life. In a moment of pure serendipity (the ink was still wet on the curatorial planning document) the Public Programs team made contact with the City of Casey Home and Community Care (HCC) team who were looking at ways that we could work together to support our common goal of getting our community out in their gardens a partnership was formed. HCC provide gardening activities to their clients aimed at supporting health and wellbeing outcomes. Public Programs, Land management and Infrastructure, Landscape Planning and Horticulture staff created a Pop-up Community Garden using boxes and palette donated by HCC. This garden was planted by HCC clients (economically, socially and physically isolated people), a local Indigenous Yarning Circle and has been maintained on a daily basis by volunteer Garden Ambassadors. This program literally lets down the barriers to community participation on site and introduces the Australian Garden to important new audiences that usually experience barriers to participation on site. The pop-up garden has been the site of family activities during the school holidays including potting up plants and making scarecrows on weekends. The HCC clients have considerable ownership and pride in their gardens and are returning to check on the progress of their gardens during the week bringing back with them friends and family. The Pop-up Community Garden will be in place until the end of the spring season 2014. A project with a great deal of heart and soul. Indigenous Yarning Circle standing with the gardens that they planted. Photographer Mandy Thomson. 5
Modified tool display for the volunteer garden ambassadors to showcase through Spring, to complement the seasonal topic Healthy Gardens/Healthy Gardeners. This was created from an old door and a packing crate and provided to the gardens from the city of Casey. Site of the pop-up garden Some flowers in the Colour bed 6
City of Casey: Interactive Gardening Program Author City of Casey Interactive Gardening Program The City of Casey s innovative home-based gardening program assists eligible Home and Community Care clients to remain active in their own gardens. It aims to support clients to become more active, mobile and independent. Qualified gardeners work alongside clients to turn their home gardens into areas they can easily access, maintain and enjoy. This involves creating a plan for the garden that may include: a general tidy up, plant selection advice, modifications such as raised garden beds, or providing access to aids and equipment. This unique gardening program does not involve regular weeding or mowing, and includes a sixmonth review when clients can discuss future actions and provide feedback. The program helps to decrease the potential of falls or injuries by building clients activity, mobility and strength levels. It also improves clients overall mental health and wellbeing, and in some cases, assists clients to feel more capable of remaining in their own homes. Since its inception in 2012, Council s Interactive Gardening Program has grown significantly to more than 140 clients. As an extension to the home-based program, Council recently partnered with the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne to create a pop-up garden. Several of Council s social support groups were engaged to plant out the pop-up garden feature and revisit it to see how it had grown. The Interactive Gardening program was a finalist in the 2013 LG Pro Awards for Excellence Raised garden beds built to assist HACC clients to continue gardening at home 7
Horticultural Therapy Awareness Week. 16 th to 22 nd March, 2015 Horticultural Therapy Awareness Week is a time for celebrating the value that gardens give to us all. It is an opportunity to show the community the programs that run in your area that demonstrate the therapeutic benefits that are gained. Help to celebrate - Open your garden up to the public Invite the local press to write a story about your garden Have a morning tea in the garden Invite your local Member of Parliament to visit your garden Therapeutic Gardening Short Courses in 2015 Therapeutic Gardening Saturday 14th, February, 2015 9.00am - 4.30pm Saturday 21st March, 2015 9.00am - 4.30pm Advanced Therapeutic Gardening Saturday 21st, February, 2015 9.00am - 4.30pm Saturday 2 nd May, 2015 9.00am - 4.30pm Holmesglen Institute, 595 Waverley Rd, Glen Waverley Registration: (03) 9564 1546 http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/programs/short_courses/house_and_garden/horticulture This organisation is supported by financial assistance from the Australian Government and Victorian Government 8