Guelph Enabling Garden --- Accessible Gardening

2008

2008 Horticultural Therapy Teaching Sessions

The Guelph Enabling Garden welcomes all to participate in these free teaching sessions offered within the Garden throughout the summer. Garden tours are offered Mondays from 6:30-6:50pm. All teaching sessions run from 7-7:45pm. If you are unable to make these dates, private sessions can be arranged.

Monday, June 16th: Boot Planters
Bring your old boots and we'll plant them up with pretty annuals for your garden, patio, or balcony.

Monday, June 23rd: Dried Floral Arranging
Create a dried floral arrangement to decorate your space with something new and unique.

Monday, July 7th: Potpourri Sachets
Bring the scents of the garden home with you in a potpourri sachet.

Monday, July 14th: Aromatherapy
Learn the different ways that essential oils can be used therapeutically.

Monday, July 21st: Pressed Flower Art
Learn how to preserve plant material and use them to create pressed flower prints.

Monday, July 28th: Herbs in the Garden
Learn how garden herbs can be used therapeutically for health and well-being.

Monday, August 11th: Recycled Notepaper
Learn how easy it is to turn old newspaper into lovely notepaper.

Monday, August 18th: Plant Propagation
Make new plants from old ones to enjoy at home.

Unless stated, all materials are provided by the GEG, free of charge. Donations are greatly appreciated.

To register for a teaching session please contact the Garden's Horticultural Therapist: Lea Tran, 519-993-5323, lea@green-ideas.ca.

Tales and Tea

Friday stories and tea will return again to the Enabling Gardens this summer. Lea Tran of the Enabling Gardens and Brian Holstein of the Guelph Guild of Storytellers have announced that, following the success of this initial venture last year, more tales will be told, and more tea will be served, on Friday mornings 10am-11am, commencing June 20, continuing weekly until mid-August. If possible, it would be great if audience members could bring their own mugs if they would like complimentary tea or lemonade.

The Guelph Guild tellers are enthusiastic about returning to the park, and several tellers from outside Guelph have already asked to be part of the weekly one-hour tellings. Last year an audience ranging from six to a dozen seniors enjoyed the Friday morning, listening and sipping. Several people became regular visitors. Others were brought to the gardens from St. Joseph's and from seniors' homes. It is at times difficult to have people understand the nature of storytelling: Many automatically believe that storytelling is for children while it is, in fact, a tradition and art that has been with us from before the invention of written media. Many stories can be for children, but there are many that require an adult mind to process their messages, to appreciate their intent

To date, the following tellers will be featured:
June 20: An hour with locals Brian Holstein and Maryann Baily
June 27: Carolyn Wilker from the Baden Storytellers and local teller Beve Matson
July 4: Michelle Braniff from the Baden Storytellers and Brian Holstein
July 11: Locals Frank Toplin and Brian Holstein
July 18: An hour with Guelph's Ann Estill
July 25: Locals Frank Toplin and Joan Holland
August 1: Locals Beve Matson and Joan Holland
August 8: Guelph's Vince Wall
The schedule for August 15 is yet to be set, and the above schedule could change due to unforeseen circumstances.

While limited seating is provided those who can may wish to bring their own chairs.

For more information please contact Lea at 519-993-5323, lea@green-ideas.ca or Brian at briahols@yahoo.com

Thank you to all the visitors, speakers, story tellers and participants who attended our 2007 Season Teaching Programs, Teatime and Storytelling, Youth Workshops and Guest Speakers. We hope you enjoyed the programs we offered and look forward to more exciting events in 2008.

Currently, we have volunteers from Home Depot, Guelph, planting fall bulbs and installing bricks from our 2007 Buy-A-Brick campaign. The bricks were donated and delivered by Guelph Building Supply. The next, and final, brick installation will take place in the fall of 2008. There are only 70 bricks left to purchase.

The Gardening Experience

As you walk the wide, wheelchair-friendly paths, read the donor bricks with memorials of loved ones, and others with wonderful proverbs. Listen to the river, walk the spiral path. Admire the raised and ground beds which have been planted and are maintained by community groups and individuals as part of their own horticultural therapy programme. The Wellington Association for Community Living, Guelph Services for People with Disabilities, Spark of Brilliance, Zonta and Arc Industries are some of the organizations, which bring their members regularly to the garden to care for their raised or ground beds. See, feel, smell, touch and hear what there is to discover in this very special garden.

For more information about The Guelph Enabling Garden or information about volunteering contact Wendy at wendylew@sympatico.ca.

Board Members and Project Manager
Glynis Logue. L. to R. standing:
Jackson Mathieu, Judith Rosenberg,
Trevor Barton, Betty Richard.
Seated on bench: L to R.
Jen Turnbull, Glynis Logue & Joan Mathieu