Being able to step out into a garden can bring a special joy in the warmer months, as plants and flowers burst into life and insects and birds go about their business. For many of us, especially those who are older, gardening is a popular pastime. According to a report by the Horticultural Trades Association, over 18.1million adults in the UK garden on a regular basis, with 76% of over-55s saying they enjoy gardening in their free time, increasing to 87% among those over 75.
A big draw at Middlefields House is the home’s large communal garden, where ‘family members’ (those who live with us) can sit back and enjoy a moment of calm, or get busy with sowing, planting and reaping the rewards, with veg from the garden often making its way onto plates at mealtimes.
One family member for whom the garden means a lot is Margaret, 88, whose love of plants began at an early age. As a young child, aged just two or three, she remembers being fascinated by the daffodils growing along the narrow border at the front of her family home in Wales. “I’d go out into the garden and gently open the daffodil buds thinking I was helping the sun get in so they could bloom,” she says.
Her father, who served in the army, was a keen vegetable grower whenever he was home. He would carefully plan and organise the vegetable beds, and the family would enjoy eating the produce they had grown together. While her mother preferred cooking to gardening, the garden was very much a family space. During the war years, they welcomed three groups of evacuees into their home and the garden’s raspberries were always particularly popular with their young guests.
Margaret took O-level Biology and alongside her scientific studies became skilled at illustrating plant specimens under the microscope, producing detailed drawings of British trees for her botany project. She went on to study Botany at university and she and her husband – another outdoors-lover who held a degree in Zoology – enjoyed many years of gardening together. Their first home in Kingswood, Surrey, was previously owned by a champion delphinium grower, a fitting beginning for a couple so passionate about plants.
“I thought the grounds were beautiful and could see the potential for getting involved.” - Margaret
Choosing Middlefields House primarily for its Christian ethos, Margaret was immediately excited when she saw the garden. “I thought the grounds were beautiful and could see the potential for getting involved,” she says.
At the heart of our approach to care, The Way We Care, is a commitment to putting the desires of each person first (see pp.8-11). When Matthew Strevens, Activities and Community Engagement (ACE) Facilitator started at the home last year, one of the first things he did was convene a meeting to find out what those living with us were interested in.
“Margaret told me all about the Gardening Club she helps lead, and how she’d love to get more people involved,” says Matthew.
With the support of Matthew, the Gardening Club got into the rhythm of meeting every Friday afternoon. Over the spring and summer months, the raised beds and greenhouses became a hive of activity, with onions, beetroot, leeks and lettuces among the produce coming to fruition under the tender care of Margaret and her fellow Gardening Club enthusiasts.
“What’s nice is that even those who are not able to be quite so hands-on have enjoyed watching what’s going on and sharing their knowledge and memories,” says Matthew.
Family member Judy also contributed by bringing pots from home and planting them outside her window, further adding to the sense of shared ownership and pride in the garden.
Rainy days are no barrier to progress – the group simply moves inside to do a bit of planting in pots, or to spend the time browsing gardening magazines and planning their next step.
Also championing the efforts of the Gardening Club is the home’s official gardening team, headed up by Steve. “Margaret especially has developed a lovely relationship with the gardeners,” says Matthew. “She realised that they often started very early in the morning and so began leaving them notes tied with string, sometimes accompanied by a chocolate bar.”
Things like leaving the hose attached so it can be easily used by the Gardening Club and sourcing a compost bin are some of the ways the gardeners have lent their support. Head Gardener Steve has even become a regular face at Gardening Club and he and Margaret are working on a joint project to label the flowers and plants to add interest for anyone visiting the garden. Horticultural knowledge is exchanged, and Margaret has provided some botanical drawings that were of interest to Steve’s daughter with her studies.
For Margaret, gardening is not only about plants, it’s about passing on knowledge. She is excited that her great grandsons are becoming keen gardeners and planted their first sweet pea seeds at Middlefields House.
With the arrival of spring and summer, Margaret and the Gardening Club have been stepping up their activities once again. Margaret is especially excited to be getting going with this year’s vegetables. There has already been a harvest of the spinach leaves, which were taken in and made into a soup by kitchen staff and served in the home. The compost project is being developed and discussions are underway for giant sunflower growing competition. Now all that’s needed is for the weather to be kind.
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