WHEAT (CBS) – Sunshine and saplings – it is a combination that creates good luck and healing in the western suburbs.
Morning Insider Lauren Victory takes us to a garden therapy club that’s growing back after an off-season.
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The wheels are turning at the DuPage Care Center in Wheaton and the members of the gardening club are doing their laps again.
Seeds and weeds are wheelchair accessible as the beds are raised.
“There is something inspiring about having your hands in the ground, breathing the fresh air and watching the plants grow,” says Joyce Johnston, the center’s first year gardener.
John Boyle is a first-time visitor, despite being his sophomore year at the nursing home. COVID-19 kept residents locked inside and outside the gardens in 2020.
Boyle loves to join the group once a week. “I mean, it’s nice to get out for one thing,” he said.
Amy Bakker says she tried to recreate the magic with houseplants last year … but it wasn’t the same.
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“I just love being outside and gardening like I used to do when I had my home,” said Bakker, who has been with the club for five years.
The 45 resident breeders have all sorts of diseases. Gardening is considered recreational therapy.
Good for the mind and “people don’t even notice that they are exercising their hands, their bodies,” says Henry Parker, who has coordinated the program for decades.
New this season: a pollinator field that brings bees and more to vegetables and flowers.
Volunteers, called master gardeners and trained by the University of Illinois Agricultural School, bring good company and advice.
“If we don’t like it, dig in the mud – just like some people can’t use their hands – they’ll do it for us,” Bakker said. “But we want it. We just tell them and they are so helpful. “
It will take a while for the harvest to come in completely.
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At least 2020 has reaped patience.
