Everything is coming up roses – and daisies, sunflowers and hollyhocks – at Uniting AgeWell Mornington Community, Lillian Martin.
And the element of surprise is what Craig Tilyard just loves to create.
Craig, who has managed some of the residential sites in southern Tasmania for close on 20 years, regularly plants hundreds of bulbs, doesn’t tell anyone what they are, and waits for their exclamations of joy and surprise when flower beds are transformed into cottagey bursts of colour.
Some of his favourites are sunflowers, but basically anything that is bright and cheerful gets his tick of approval. The one thing he insists on is that there is colour the whole year round. “We get four distinct seasons each year,” he says “so seasonal planting is the way to go.”
Recently Craig, who owns Go Pro Mow, completely dug up the garden at the front entrance to the residential facility and revamped it into its current “old fashioned” cottagey look. And Craig is delighted to report they get around 15 compliments a day on how cheery the typical English country garden looks.
However, the biggest transformation on the site is at the Men’s Shed at the rear of the property.
The men love to congregate on the verandah, have a BBQ and look out on the garden – which for a few years was a flat section of grass and a manhole. The request from the men last year was heartfelt: “We love our shed, but could the garden be a little more appealing?”
And they got their wish. In spades! Craig and his team paved an area, put in a table where the men could congregate, planted standard roses and daisies and created beds crammed with bright coloured flowers. There is even a row of fruit trees as you come up the path – pears, cherries, nectarines and peaches. All the ingredients for a delightful fruit salad. Craig also planted a hedge to shield the area from the wind.
“The residents love it down there,” Craig says. “They have so many gatherings in the garden now, everyone enjoys its cheery brightness.”
Craig also works with one of Lillian Martin’s mad-keen gardeners, Edna. She is passionate about “her” veggie garden, and tends the fresh produce so diligently she has started distributing it to staff to take home to use. Craig has helped her plant tomatoes, silver beet and lettuce.
Residents also love beautifying the site - check out Allan making a planter box, and another one on the site.
Steve Hart, Uniting AgeWell Facilities Services Supervisor Southern Tasmania, says raised planter boxes of varying heights enable residents, even those who use wheelchairs, to both plant and pick fresh veggies.
“This gives them great joy,” he says. “There’s huge satisfaction in planting something, watching it grow, and then picking it later.”
Steve says sensory gardens appealing to sight, touch and smell are also popular, as are water features which are relaxing. They always try to attract bird life with bird baths – residents love watching their feathered friends pop in for a visit.
Uniting AgeWell Lifestyle Manager Sharon Levey says gardening gives residents huge enjoyment and a sense of purpose - it is wonderful to plant seedlings and then watch them grow and produce flowers and fruit or veggies which can be picked. All residential sites have raised planter boxes they can easily reach.
"It is in nurturing a garden that residents themselves feel nurtured" she says. Sharon also says being outdoors in the fresh air is also great for residents' emotional and physical wellbeing, and that most UA sites have active garden clubs.
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