Garden Therapy October 2025
This month, a dedicated group of TWGC members came together and made 120 arrangements for distribution to Meals on Wheels recipients.
Garden Therapy September 2025
On Monday, September 15, six members of the Trent Woods Garden Club, Christine Bryon, Sue Jones. Annette Daugherty, Kathleen Marty, Karen Kimball and Kathy Perretta, visited Bayview Nursing home. Fifteen residents created beautiful greeting cards using cut up vegetables. Peppers, okra and corn were painted using acrylic paints and markers to add details. Each card was unique and the residents complimented each other and enjoyed sharing ideas. A good time was had by all.
Garden Therapy February 2025
TWGC volunteers had a wonderful time visiting with the residents of HomePlace in February. Annette Dougherty was our coordinator for this fun activity. The residents created floral and pinecone arrangements with the assistance of our volunteers. Following a delicious snack of juice and homemade cookies, residents and volunteers enjoyed singing some favorite classic songs.
January 2025 Garden Therapy canceled due to COVID
Garden Therapy December 2024
TWGC volunteers joined the residents at Navian for songs, conversation, cookies and juice. They also helped the residents to make small floral arrangements that the residents took to their rooms.
Garden Therapy October 2024
TWGC volunteers were busy at work creating 140 nosegays to be distributed to Meals on Wheels recipients. Every nosegay was created to let them know that we care.
Garden Therapy September 2024 Bayview Nursing Home
TWGC volunteers visited Bayview Nursing Home in September to help residents with planting paperwhite bulbs in colorful little pots. The residents were cheerful and enjoyed decorating their pots with stickers and shells. A snack of cookies and juice was enjoyed by all.
April 2024
Bayview September 2023. TWGC members visited residents at Bayview Nursing Home. TWGC members assisted residents in creating their very own floral arrangements, visited talked and enjoyed a snack.
Garden Therapy March 2023
TWGC members had a wonderful time assisting residents in creating pine cone bird feeders.
TWGC volunteers visited Homeplace and assisted the residents with floral arrangements that they keep to enjoy for Valentine’s day. The hostess was Marcia Sproul who organized the visit. Everyone enjoyed the hands on project , but also enjoyed visiting, singing and cookies and juice. TWGC visits nursing homes in the New Bern area every month September through April.
by Paula Hartman, photos by Kathleen Marty
What a great visit we enjoyed at Golden Heights Home (aka Good Shepherd Home for the Aged). The residents were ready when we arrived to make bird feeders. We had a full complement of TWGC members including our President, Gail MclAmb, Raye Lynn (our incoming President), Ann G. Hall, Rhona Beadle, Maggie Ferrara, Jeanne Garner, GT Chair , Frances Eder and Paula Hartman. Kathleen Marty (sp), our photographer, came to capture the activities!
Once our guests lathered up the pine cones with lard (much safer and better than peanut butter), they rolled the cones in birdseed, then proceeded out front to hang them in the trees. Soon the cardinals and other birds will find the feeders, and the residents will enjoy watching. We have been visiting this home for many years and know that the residents truly enjoy not only this activity, but also the chats we have with them. The benefits of this visit was evident not only in the faces of the residents, but also with our TWGC members who found this time shared valuable, that is, to share a visit with strangers.
And a special treat after making the feeders, we served donuts (probably a rarity in their lives) and juice. Thank you to all the TWGC members who participated in this activity which was appreciated by both the residents and staff alike.
TWGC visited residents at Croatan helping residents create small floral arrangements, singing songs and enjoying cookies and juice.
TWGC volunteers gathered on October 10, 2022 to create 124 individual nosegays to be distributed to all the Meals on Wheels recipients in the area.
Just a little something to brighten someone’s day.
Trent Woods Garden Club volunteers visited residents at Bayview Nursing Home and assisted residents in creating small floral arrangements in coffee mugs. The residents were able to keep the floral arrangements to brighten their rooms. A grand time was had by all signing old timey tunes and enjoying cookies and juice.
TWGC created small floral arrangements and delivered them to Monarch.
TWGC volunteers visited Homeplace nursing home and helped residents to creat floral arrangments for themselves and their friends. Everyone enjoyed the sing along and the cookies and juice.
What a surprise as we entered Good Shepherd and discovered that the home has been bought by another corporation and is now “Golden Heights.” We made bird feeders with gigantic pinecones. Since only a few residents attended our activity, we made extra feeders so all the residents could enjoy the visiting birds. We were pleased that 2 of our prospective members, Jeanne Miller and Joanne Orluk, helped us. Our committee consisted of our President, Gail McLamb, Maggie Ferrara, Frances Eder and Paula Hartman. Homemade cookies by Jeanne were a special treat for everyone.
TWGC Volunteers visited Brookdale Nursing Home in December. Residents each created two coffee mug arraignments, one to keep and one to share. Delicious homemade cookies put everyone in the holiday spirit!
TWGC volunteers visited Croatan Village and had a wonderful time creating individual floral arrangements, singing songs and enjoying cookies and juice.
TWGC volunteers planted vegetables, herbs (and flowers!) for the residents at Riverpoint Crest. The kitchen will use the vegetables and herbs for the residents all season! Fresh salsa anyone?
TWGC volunteers created 34 Floral arrangements, including 5 for the Birthday people if the month. Betty Garrin hosted at her house and the group had great fun. They delivered the finished product to Monarch who will give them to their clients who come there daily and will deliver the others who live in group homes and still cannot go out.
Our floral designers this month were Jan Cahoon, Maggie Farrara, Betty Garrin, Gail McLamb and Kathy Perretta.
Garden Therapy
Trent Woods Garden Club volunteers delivered 20 birthday nosegay bouquets to Good Shepard Home in New Bern. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, TWGC is unable to visit with the residents at this time. Instead TWGC delivering nosegay bouquets to residents with birthdays during the month and additional arrangements for the staff and other residents to enjoy.
Creating the nosegays were Marcia Sproul, Kathy Perratta, Frances Eder Paula Hartman and Deb Tallman.
Garden Therapy November 2020
Croatan Village
Gail McLamb and her committee were busy creating 25 arrangements for Croatan Village residents with November birthdays and all residents and staff to enjoy! Looks like these lovely ladies had a wonderful time!
Carol Letellier delivering 160 floral arrangements to the Senior Services Activity Director Ellen Hargett and Hugh Kirkman from Housekeeping.
| Working hard to create 160 floral offerings were: Lydia Ashe, Carol Letellier, Kathy Perretta, Mary Boudreault, Arline North, Eileen Griswold, Paula Hartman and Sue Wyatt. |
Garden Therapy is one of the favorite programs at TWGC. Every month a group of members visits a local nursing home. TWGC brings flowers and plants that the residents make into a keepsake for their rooms. Refreshments are offered and a sing a long spreads cheer to volunteers and residents alike.
Monday January 13, 2020
Good Shepherd
Members of TWGC enjoyed helping Good Shepherd residents to create pine cone bird feeders. After they were all done, the bird seeders were hung outside. The bird feeders were hung where the birds could enjoy them and the residents could watch the action! The visit also included juice, cookies and a sing along!
Brookdale, 1336 S. Glenburnie Road
TWGC Gail McLamb was the lead hostess with Kathy Perretta, Marcia Sproul, Sylvia Cotton, Debbie Durham and Francis Eder joining in the fun. The ladies and residents made beautiful arrangements with greens and roses, baby breath and daisies in Christmas coffee cups. Jack, the activity director at Brookdale, took a picture of us and said he was going to post it on their Facebook page. All the residents enjoyed making the flowers arrangements, having cookies and juice and singing.
November 18, 2019 The residents of Croatan Village had a delightful time making flower
arrangements in teacups and mugs. They used baby carnations of many
colors, baby’s breath and ferns. The residents had a grand time using every flower
and cup and then sharing with their friends. We finished up the morning
with refreshments and singing. TWGC members Paula Hartman, Frances
Eder, Mary Florence, Sue Wyatt, Marcia Sproul, Melanie Applegate and Sylvia Cotton all
joined in the fun!
Tuesday, Sept.17, 2019
Bayview Nursing Home and Rehab Center
Sue Wyatt was hostess with garden members: Gail McLamb, Mary Ann Hudak, Mary Florence, Marcia Sproul, Kathy Peretta and Sylvia Cotton; worked with 18 residents to support them in making beautiful flower arrangements to take to their room. Refreshments were served with a special guitar music sing along by Michael Williams and Bill Wyatt. Laughter and appreciation were conveyed to the TWGC members from the residents of Bayview. Please join us anytime to work with residents of different senior facilities.