In May we connect Mental Heath Awareness Week and it’s theme of ‘Kindness’ to Horticulture at Stanford Hall.

May 31, 2020

During May we have seen Mental Health Awareness Week with its theme of Kindness. The Mental Health Foundation define kindness as doing something towards yourself and others, motivated by genuine desire to make a positive difference. Furthermore, they make clear its connection to our mental health. Horticulture can help us to practise kindness to ourselves through the act of growing and nurturing plants, and the benefits this can deliver to our mental health. Sharing the fruits of your labour can be an act of kindness to others be it produce to prepare a meal, or a bunch of hand-picked flowers to put a smile on someone’s face. We are also being kind to our environment by caring for it. We have very much appreciated the kindness from staff and patients who are fostering plants at home or are looking after the plants in situ in our therapeutic gardens.

May has also seen the Chelsea Flower Show go digital for the first time, providing lots of inspiration, advice and ideas for us all. Likewise, we have also had to go digital to provide Horticultural Therapy remotely for patients still on the Unit, and continue to consider ways of doing this for patients at home.

Virtual Horticultural Therapy

This month saw the start of our virtual Horticultural Therapy sessions with some of the Neuro patients. We have provided ‘How to’ videos for both patients and the OT staff supporting the session to provide visual and verbal instruction on each task using an iPad. Andy has been able to set up equipment needed prior to the session, and follow up afterwards. I have liaised with the OT’s to get feedback after each session and so decide on a suitable activity for the next session. We have had good feedback from the patients and staff involved who have reported the videos to be an effective way of communicating instructions which can be paused or replayed as needed.

We have had the following sessions: seed sowing, construction of a self-watering system, pricking out and potting on tomato plants, and planting out runner beans/making plant supports from garden canes. We have also encouraged daily maintenance tasks such as watering.

We are also in the process of developing our own Scavenger Hunts for patients to do onsite having been inspired by the Chelsea Physic Garden. I did one on different coloured flowers which was used as visual scanning exercise with one of the Neuro patients and Andy is planning on doing one about trees.  We hope to develop a variety for different times of the year.

Finally, Andy paid a visit to the Friends of the Tenth Memorial near Somerby to give the surrounding garden a much-needed water and grass cut. We look forward to a time when we will be able to return with patients in the future.

Until then from all at HighGround take care and stay safe.

Jane.

Patient watering.

Wigwam building.

Patient built autopots.

Wallflowers in the raised bed.

Friends of the Tenth memorial.

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