The outstanding gardens from across Bolton Clarke’s Allity residential homes have been recognised as part of their newly launched gardening competition.
The Best in Grow Resident Gardening Competition saw 43 homes working to create a fresh and vibrant gardening masterpiece.
Bayside Aged Care home secured the dementia-specific category with their fantastic sensory garden while Claremont Terrace was awarded the general category with a variety of fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Claremont Terrace resident Valarie Johnson said the experience was so enjoyable that she didn’t miss a single session to help get the gardens prepared for judging.
“It was a great way to meet and socialise with other residents in our home,” Valarie said.
“It has brought a lot of memories back for me of my gardening days as I did my own landscaping whenever I built a home. “It has been amazing being in a group of creative, positive and likeminded people and I am now growing radish on my own balcony!” she said.
Group Lifestyle Services Manager Catherine Doyle said the competition had created a real buzz across the homes.
“Horticultural therapy is so beneficial for residents and they’ve been able to get involved in lots of different ways, from planning and planting their gardens to weeding, watering and watching their gardens grow,” Catherine said.
“The gardens have also given residents a real sense of accomplishment and will be used for lots of activities into the future.
“The Best in Grow competition has been a great success and residents are already planning their next project,” she said.
About Bolton Clarke:
Bolton Clarke is Australia’s largest independent not-for-profit aged care provider. With RSL Care (Queensland) and the Royal District Nursing Service (Victoria) at the heart of our DNA, we have been caring for Australians since 1885.
In 2022, we expanded our services welcoming Allity and Acacia Living Group to Bolton Clarke Group. Today, our 10,000 employees and volunteers support more than 130,000 people in the community with a wide range of general and specialist care and nursing services, including:
- Australia’s largest home care service with 10,700+ visits every day
- 70 residential aged care homes in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia
- 36 retirement villages across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia
Our connected care and living options are underpinned by our Research Institute’s dedication to enhancing lives through leading research and applied knowledge, and by our Altura Learning organisation delivering tailored workforce and industry education in Australia and internationally.
