Sowing the seeds of recovery

A garden with the theme of mental health recovery is a first for the Bloom festival taking place this weekend

FINISHING TOUCHES are being added to a unique garden which will be featured at the Bloom garden festival in Phoenix Park this weekend. The garden with the theme of mental health recovery has been created by a group of students on a horticultural training course which also incorporates personal development. It is the first time that a garden created by a specialised training centre has been included in the garden festival.

“The garden features three Optimist boats – these are boats used for teaching people how to sail – and each of them is surrounded by plants representing the stages along the journey from illness to wellness,” says John Sweeney, manager of the HSE Plantmarket horticultural training centre in Blakes Cross, near Lusk, Co Dublin.

So, one boat has an abandoned look, surrounded by nettles, briars and brambles. Lush, soft planting surrounds the second boat – symbolising partial recovery – while the third boat is in full sail surrounded by a carnival of colourful, energetic plants and flowers.

The students identify strongly with the garden and are proud of the results. “I love the different types of plants and how they are used to symbolise sadness and wellness. Some of the plants are crazy looking while others are bright and cheerful,” says Sorcha Schlindwein. “I think it’s a great opportunity to show the public that you can become well again even if you find yourself in a crisis or if you are depressed or in despair.”

Sheila Scott says the maritime theme of the garden also symbolises the choppy waters you can go through in life. “I’ve suffered from depression and being on this course has given me a better outlook on life. My children are all grown up and my husband is out at work all day, so being here makes me feel more in touch with what is going on around me,” she says. “I also love flowers and learning more about them makes me feel closer to nature.”

Each student on the course has been affected by some kind of mental health problem. The garden symbolically charts their personal journey to wellness and recovery.

“The course has helped me cope with anxiety and helped me be around different people,” says Andrew Gibson, who hopes to combine earlier carpentry training with his horticultural training at the end of the course.

Plantmarket offers training in horticulture to Fetac levels three, four and five, but it is the personal development elements of the course that are crucial for those with mental health issues.

Each student has to work on what’s called a wellness recovery action plan through which they explore what causes them to become unwell and what makes them feel well and stay well. There is also relaxation, meditation and yoga training within the course and there are group outings to places like Dublin Zoo and the National Botanic Gardens.

“There is great camaraderie and peer-to-peer support. We have rules of tolerance, respect, understanding and mutual support,” says Sweeney. “Many of the students would have been very isolated – and sometimes ostracised in their communities – before coming on the course.”

Plantmarket is one of 22 centres in a network which provides a range of community-based training for people with mental health problems or intellectual disabilities in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare.

“We get referrals from the whole of north Dublin – from community mental health teams, GPs, Fás and some self-referrals. Many people don’t know there are places like ours and we are keen to promote them,” says Sweeney.

“Stigma and ignorance are unfortunately still major barriers to successful recovery for people who experience mental health difficulties,” adds Dr Margaret Webb, the general manager of the network of training centres.

“This garden is a celebration of wellness and reminds us all that life is a journey in which hope and optimism support us through the difficult times. We would like to invite visitors to Bloom to come to the garden and talk to the team involved in creating it.”

Bloom runs from June 2nd-6th in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. It features 27 show gardens, an Irish craft garden, an international garden from China and a Bord Bia food village. Admission is €15 for adults, under 16s free. See bloominthepark.com