Residents meet once a month to plant flowers, herbs and other forms of vegetation with the guidance of the arboretum’s master gardener.
Over the course of the program, the residents learn special gardening techniques along with ways to improve their skills and mental health.
The first meeting of the garden club took place in June 2022 and, according to Rick Williams, a member of the arboretum’s speaker’s bureau, it sparked a big turnout.
“I think when you're at a retirement home, like [The Preston], things like [the gardening club] are certainly a good thing,” says Williams, “because you want to have a variety of cultural experiences to stay in touch with the outside world.”
The garden has been a source of beauty and joy for residents of The Preston and also a source of nourishment. Oftentimes, the residents of The Preston make mocktails and small dishes using ingredients from the garden.
“We have some bell peppers, cucumbers, pickles, garlic, chives and tomatoes,” says Antoinette Chatham, a resident of The Preston and a garden club member. “And it's just fun to be able to see it grow and then eat it.”
“According to research, gardening actually helps increase your serotonin [levels]. But what it also does for us is, it actually helps socialization, which is very important." – Debbie Dickerson, director of community life at The Preston
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Debbie Dickerson, director of community life at The Preston, recalls a time in May when she and The Preston’s crew wanted to make zero-proof mint juleps for Derby Day.
“I went to all the stores in this area and couldn't find any mint,” says Dickerson. “So I went to my dining room, I asked my chef and he said, ‘There's plenty in the garden.’”
The speaker component of the garden club comes as part of a supplemental quarterly series through a partnership with Watermark University. The Arboretum’s Memory Garden series, made up of four onsite classes for those in the early to middle stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, also comes from Watermark.
All the programs aim to improve overall happiness among The Preston residents.
“According to research, gardening actually helps increase your serotonin [levels],” says Dickerson. “But what it also does for us is, it actually helps socialization, which is very important. One of the hardest things, when you're diagnosed with dementia, your apathy usually sets in, so we just want to make sure that we're keeping the residents busy all day long.”
The programs and speakers sessions take place at the Arboretum, but for those unable to attend in person, sessions will be available to book at The Preston as part of the Arboretum’s commitment to keeping its facilities accessible.
“If you can't come to the garden, there are various ways that we can come to you,” says Terry Lendecker, the Arboretum’s VP of public relations. “It’s important that we have all of those elements.”
