Over the past 12 months a new sensory garden has been taking shape at Maldon Hospital. Set beside the main hospital building, the scents, sounds and sights of the new garden are inspiring residents and staff alike.
The main garden beds were carefully designed to be set at waist height to enable residents to interact with the plantings. Walking paths are clear and flat to ensure residents can independently make their way to and around the garden.
Judy Uren, a long-standing standing member of the Castlemaine and District Garden Club, was invited to use her expertise and knowledge of local flora to advise on plantings for the sensory garden.
Judy said, “The sensory garden plants have been chosen for their sensory properties, including texture, perfume and movement. They include Gaura, Lavender, Rosemary, Lamb’s ears, Correa and Garrya elliptica. The garden also includes a variety of fruit trees, including cumquat, lemon, apple, cherry and plum, which residents enjoy for the lovely fruit they produce”.
Judy has a special relationship to Maldon Hospital and the garden, with her daughter Shannon Uren being the General Manager and Director of Nursing.
Shannon said, “I was delighted to be able to ask my mum for her ideas. She is incredibly passionate about gardening and keen to get involved in making the sensory garden the very best it could be for our residents.”
The sensory garden design also incorporates a number of quirky and playful aesthetic features. These include an old iron bedhead as a frame for a passionfruit, an old bicycle tyre atop a spike hosting a wisteria and numerous birdbaths, pottery birds, a water feature and other colourful garden ornaments.
With the plantings now in place, residents enjoy walking around the central garden bed. They sit and enjoy hearing the water falling in the water tank feature. They hear the sounds of insects and birds, smell the aromatic plants, watch the various patterns of foliage from different plants, and feel the textures of leaves.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 22 April 2022.
