Mery Stewart lives in Five Star Premier Residences of
Pompano Beach. She is a gifted painter,
sculptor and gardener. Mery asked me to
come to her balcony one evening after horticulture class. Her balcony is always abloom with an amazing
selection of plants. Originally Mery had
many gorgeous orchids. Her balcony faces
west on a tall ten story building opposite the beach on the intra coastal
waterway in Pompano Beach. The brutal hot
sun would normally bake orchids, but Mery provided filtered shade with some
larger leafed tropical plants.
On this visit, Mery’s balcony looked like a mini
nursery. There were dozens of small
containers with an assortment of coleus seedlings, Stepilia cactus, kalanchoe
and more. The containers were recycled
plastic pudding and jello cups, yogurt cups and more. What a delight to see so much going on, and
Mery explained, “This is my therapy.
This is what keeps me going.” Some
people love to garden and others garden to live. Horticulture Therapy works wonders for the
mind body and spirit. Growing and
nurturing a plant gives people a sense of purpose, a reason to get up in the
morning.
Mery said, “If you can use these in your class, you are
welcome to them. “ We utilized them for
the following class at Five Star. I also
had enough to use at other Five Star facilities in the tri county area. Most seniors have balconies and most like to
have plants. Since gardening is
America’s number one pastime, it stands to reason every senior living residence
should have a garden club, and most do.
“My father was a landscape architect and my mother worked in
a flower shop.” My sister also loves to
garden. She does this all by herself. “Mery
shared beautiful photos her sister sent from Germany. The
gardening group meets monthly on Thursday evenings. The crowd is always lively, loud and laughing
and everyone has a grand time.
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Gardening improves the mind
body and spirit it is called horticulture therapy. Thank you for taking the
time to learn about how it can improve your life. Visit my website rbornstein.com
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