Surrey Homes | SH109 | February 2024 | Education Supplement inside

Garden
“For me spring flowers are
arguably my favourite blooms
to work with and the fact
that many are UK grown
and relatively inexpensive
makes them attainable
for everyone to enjoy.”
Jonathan Moseley, floral designer
Outdoor gardening
Mobility and flexibility may become
reduced in later years, but you can still
garden outside. Being actively involved
in an outdoor project is energising and
brings a sense of accomplishment, and
of anticipation – looking forward to and
planning for the future – what plants to
grow, crops to harvest. If this is done in
a community setting, the social benefits
can markedly increase quality of life.
Raised beds are a good option,
constructed to the height that
best suits. Try lightweight
containers, or those on castors.
Trellises and vertical supports will
allow for plants to climb upwards to
enable easy access. Make sure that
there is a bench nearby, or chairs for
a rest in between tasks, or for sitting
and admiring achievements.
There are lots of ingenious tools available
and are ergonomic, which means they
are designed for both efficiency and
comfort. Some have been made for
people with arthritis and mobility issues.
Automatic watering systems make
the arduous and often heavy work of
watering redundant, providing they are
set up correctly and can be adjusted
to suit the prevailing weather. Because
the nozzles are pointed directly at the
parts of the plants that need it, they
can potentially be water-saving too.
Indoor gardening
Imagine a life where you might be,
through immobility or illness, trapped
inside for most of the day, unable to
step outside for a breath of fresh air, to
go for a walk, or do some gardening.
Feelings of isolation and depression can
result, but health and wellbeing benefits
can still be gained from interacting
with nature in an indoor situation.
Activities like tending to houseplants,
propagation and flower arranging are
all beneficial, raising self-esteem and
promoting a feeling of achievement.
Pegasus Homes connects with external
providers, like Jonathan Moseley, a well
known floral designer, who has hosted
events at Highfields. Jonathan shares his
thoughts on the benefits that flowers and
nature can bring to our wellbeing in later
life, and offers some top tips on creating
colourful displays in small areas, and
ideas for making cut flowers last longer:
“Spring flowers offer such welcome
cheer after the dark cold days of winter.
A bunch of daffodils or hyacinths can
immediately cheer up a room or offer
the most intoxicating fragrance. For
me spring flowers are arguably my
favourite blooms to work with and
the fact that many are UK grown and
relatively inexpensive makes them
attainable for everyone to enjoy.
Many Spring flowers like tulips,
narcissi, iris and hyacinths are bulb
flowers and the soft fleshy stems are
best arranged in shallow water as
opposed to deep water. Always add
flower food into the water when
arranging your flowers as the sugars and
minerals which it contains will enable
buds to fully mature into large flowers.
Flowers like tulips, which continue to
grow once they have been cut, benefit
from having extra foliage or twigs to
support the top heavy flowers. Try
mixing them with twiggy birch stems,
pussy willow or aromatic eucalyptus.
Small delicate flowers like snowdrops,
muscari, anemones or primulas look
stunning arranged into mini vintage
ceramic flower rings or ‘glass flower frogs’
which can be easily sourced from charity
or vintage/junk shops. Mix them with
fragrant herbs like rosemary, mint or sage
to create a wonderfully fragrant display.
Branches of early spring flowering
shrubs like forsythia, ribes (flowering
currant), cornus, witch hazel and
cherry blossom can be gathered
early before the buds begin to open.
Place the bare branches in a vase of
water in a warm room and they can
be miraculously forced open when placed
into flower within a couple of weeks.”
Pegasus has done some research recently
with the over 55s and found that 57%
of respondents enjoy hobbies to keep
them mentally active. It is well known
that socialising plays a huge role in
mental wellbeing too, and access to
communal spaces – both indoors and
outside – offer wonderful opportunities
to come together and enjoy a new
hobby with like-minded people.
From tending a garden to cultivating
a pot plant on a windowsill, research
by the Mental Health Foundation
highlights the critical role of nature in
supporting good mental health and
encourages people to connect with
‘everyday’ nature close to home to
maximise the benefits it can bring to our
wellbeing, whatever our age or ability.
To find out more about Pegasus’s new
community, Highfields, and their other
developments, visit pegasushomes.co.uk.
Jo’s gardening courses starting in
spring are now booking. Call 07923
969634 or see hornbrookmanor.co.uk
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