Doing the “Heart” Work

Gardening for Residents

Master Gardeners grow flowers, vegetables at area nursing homes

Story by Leah Barbour • Photos by Kevin Hudson

Lincoln County Master Gardeners have been bringing gardening to nursing home residents in Brookhaven since 2018.

Master Gardeners receive 40 hours of horticultural training from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and then return 40 hours of service to their communities by planting and maintaining plants and gardens, as well as answering gardening questions.

Several years ago, when retired Extension agent Travis Tadlock moved to the Aspen at Brookhaven, then-agent Rebecca Bates encouraged her vibrant group to do its magic. They installed salad tables—wooden, framed containers raised about 3 feet off the ground—for residents to garden comfortably. Master Gardeners beautified the grounds by planting roses, camellias, and other annual flowering plants.

“That’s how it began,” remembers Bill Perkins, who joined the Master Gardeners almost 10 years ago. “It was about 6 years ago when those salad tables first went in, and recently, interest had waned. The infrastructure was there, and we still put in new plants in the spring. Then, when I went to check with the staff for this year, they said, ‘Bob’s already got some plants out there.’”

Once Bob McCreary, a two-time MSU graduate and resident of the Aspen, noticed the salad tables, it just made sense to him to plant some vegetables.

“We always had a garden when I came up as a kid, and I just like it. I’ve always liked to garden, and it’s nice to go out there, take time out there, and do so much, as much as you can,” he laughs. “I use Miracle-Gro and make sure everything is watered, and I just keep it going.”

Perkins and the Lincoln County Master Gardeners ensure that McCreary has plenty of vegetables and herbs to care for—tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, okra, cilantro, and basil, just to name a few. McCreary keeps up day-to-day watering and oversight, and Perkins visits weekly to encourage and support McCreary’s efforts.

“Then, at the BeeHive (Homes of Brookhaven), I’ve got a guy named Bill Jones who enjoys working in the garden. It was the same as at the Aspen—when I came up that spring and checked with the staff, they said, ‘By the way, Bill’s got something out there,’” Perkins says.

Much like McCreary, Jones grew up gardening, and it was important to him to continue. He saw the salad tables as an opportunity.

“Every day, I just keep trying to get out there and keep it going. I try to get it watered, get it taken care of, and just keep at it, as much as I can,” Jones says.

Fellow residents at both facilities are enthusiastic and supportive of their on-site gardens, and they especially appreciate McCreary and Jones for leading the way.

“Both of these guys have fan clubs,” Perkins emphasizes. “The reason they are so successful? These are two strong green-thumb residents, and I’m connecting with them and the people at these places.

“I’m over there often, I know everybody by their first name, and the residents want to be involved, too. Even the ones who don’t have the green thumb, they still want to be engaged in conversation, talk about it, and go out and see it. They think it’s pretty interesting—what’s going on outside.”