Resident inspired Zen Garden adds area of tranquillity at Halliwell
92-year-old resident, Drummond, has been the inspiration and guiding light behind our newly opened Zen Garden at Halliwell in Tunbridge Wells.
The 64-bed care home boasts beautiful, landscaped gardens and outstanding views over the Royal Tunbridge Wells Dunorlan Park and lake, but a small area of the external gardens was proving hard to manage.
Leon Farmer, Maintenance Officer at Halliwell heads up the team responsible for keeping the property in tip top condition, both inside and out.
“Residents are very much involved in what goes on at the home, the garden in particular very much belongs to them, it is their space. Drummond came to us a while ago and said he had an idea for a particular area that was proving hard to maintain. He wanted to create a Zen Garden.”
Following lengthy discussion and research into ideas and costings, we employed local firm Lucas Landscape Maintenance to carry out the build and re-structure the space. Drummond was on hand to project manage, supported by Leon and his team and following four weeks of work, the space was transformed, ready to be enjoyed at the end of April.
“I am delighted with the beautiful space that has been created,” says Drummond. “After long and eventful lives, our residents at Halliwell may find moments of peace, reflection, and calm in our Zen Garden. It will benefit everyone.”
A Zen Garden, or Japanese dry garden, incorporates a minimalist landscape design featuring raked gravel or sand, rocks and limited use of greenery. These spaces originated in Japanese Buddhist temples and are designed to facilitate meditation and contemplation, using natural elements. The gravel is raked into patterns to create the appearance of water or movement, capturing the essence of nature rather than its literal appearance.
The 25ftsq Zen Garden is a place for quiet reflection, complete with tranquil water feature and a lovely Japanese Acer tree. Since its completion, the garden has attracted the attention of visitors to the home and we’ve had very positive feedback.
Drummond has continued to play an important role by welcoming visitors, discussing the garden’s development, and explaining the spiritual and holistic inspiration behind the design. Meanwhile Leon has made a special rake to help maintain the gravel patterns, telling us that he finds the space very each to manage and a therapeutic part of his daily work routine.
“This is a truly resident led project”, comments Home Manager, Karl Pay. “We are all absolutely delighted with the new garden which can be viewed from the dining room and is accessible for all to enjoy. Thank you to all our residents and team for their input and inspiration.”
