A healing place

A special garden meant to foster resilience, encourage conversations and support wellness opened at ACCESS Fort Garry on May 29.

The design of the garden by Bhavana Bonde and the landscape architecture team at Architecture 49 is inspired by the Seven Sacred Teachings — love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth.

“It is important to reflect on the role that land plays in wellness,” says Bonde, who is the national practice leader of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, Architecture49 and president of the Manitoba Association of Landscape Architects.

“This garden has been shaped with the intention of supporting mental health, connection and care — values that are deeply rooted in Indigenous knowledge systems and long-lasting relationships with the land.”

Evidence-based horticultural therapy research has shown that spending time in a restorative environment, such as a garden, benefits physical health and mental well-being.

ACCESS Fort Garry is a community health and social services hub located at 135 Plaza Dr. in Winnipeg which serves more than 40,000 patients and families every year from communities across south Winnipeg. Its new therapeutic garden represents far more than landscaping.

“It’s an extension of healing itself, a place where therapy can happen outdoors in a calm and safe place,” says Natalie Imbrogno, director of health services.

“As health-care providers, we understand that healing does not happen in a one-size-fits-all environment,” says Imbrogno. “For many individuals, traditional clinical settings can feel overwhelming or intimidating. That is why creating environments that support comfort and dignity have become a priority in how we deliver care. This therapeutic garden represents exactly that kind of care.”

ACCESS Fort Garry is located directly behind Pembina Crossing shopping mall. It overlooks Abinojii Mikanah, formerly Bishop Grandin Boulevard. Before the garden opened, counsellors and therapists at ACCESS Fort Garry were often asked by their clients, especially youth and young adults, if they could meet outside rather than in a clinic room. The adjacent parking lots served as a substitute meeting place.

Victoria Hospital Foundation approached ACCESS and asked how it could use donations to help promote community wellness. ACCESS staff, including community mental health workers, psychiatrists, doctors, social workers and child and adolescent clinicians were canvassed, and the idea for an outdoor garden space was born, with a special request that it include an area for playing basketball.

The unique shape of the space lends itself to the creation of distinct, purposeful areas that connect well with one another. Apart from several trees, the space was a blank slate, ready to be shaped.

“We always look at building on the natural capital,” says Bonde. “The existing trees are the most effective tool in a landscape. So, when you have existing trees, especially in our climate, it’s very important to maintain and prune the trees to ensure they stay healthy.”

In a spacious L-shaped area, there are tall conifers which provide a forest-like effect on one side and on the other side, mature green ash trees with broad, leafy canopies which offer shade. There are also Amur maple trees which put on a colour show in fall. Ivory Silk Japanese Tree Lilacs, dwarf Korean lilacs and Hydrangea Little Quick Fire will provide seasonal blooms. New plantings also include three Black Hills spruce trees and six Colorado spruce trees.

“In therapeutic gardens, it’s very important that you accentuate seasonal changes,” says Bonde. “When you’re designing a therapeutic garden, you have to make sure that there is a variety of environments so that people can feel comfortable. The scale of the space needs to be varied, too.”

To achieve this, the designers incorporated naturalized and passive spaces as well as active spaces, including a basketball court and a space to host events. There is also a cosy, mid-size area where small groups of people can meet or staff can have lunch together. A rubber surfacing pathway is accessible for wheelchairs.

“You can even walk around it in your bare feet,” says Bonde.

“By putting in so many different sizes of spaces, it made the outdoor space feel larger.”

In addition to ensuring a comfortable space in terms of scale and accessibility, Bonde says plant design and selection are important in a therapeutic garden.

“The scale of the space feels very different when you are sitting under a tree or surrounded by tall shrubs or just smaller plants.”

A seating area with a pair of Adirondack chairs, natural stone pavers and mother-of-thyme planted between the joints contribute to the intimate feel. Nearby, a grassy berm adds visual interest by creating varying elevation. It also invites touch and is a cosy place to sit. The berm was designed to contain rogue balls, but as with any layout, everyday interactions will ultimately determine its use.

Chain link fencing that stands just 1.2 metres high was chosen as the ideal garden boundary. Its open mesh design maximizes the connection to nature by providing an unobstructed view into and out of the garden. Even passersby can enjoy the beauty of this new space. Fast-growing Virginia creeper vine (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) planted at intervals along the fence will create a leafy backdrop to the garden as well as brilliant fall colour. Clusters of blue-black berries that mature in late summer will attract birds.

The plant selection consists of numerous shrubs and native perennials that are reliably hardy to our Zone 3 climate. To keep the plant palette neutral, plants with strong fragrance have not been included.

“We focused more on textures in the sensory garden and also on some of the Indigenous plant material, like sage and sweet grass, which is used in ceremonies,” says Bonde.

Red Osier dogwood will add vivid colour in winter with its bright red twigs. An extraordinary mass planting of Nepeta Purrsian Blue catmint will provide a sea of soft blue colour when it is in bloom.

In terms of the sensory experience, there is also the satisfying sound of pea gravel crunching beneath your feet as you stroll along the winding paths punctuated by large boulders.

“We planted quite a few daylilies because they are very hardy and require little maintenance,” says Bonde. “We also planted (Stachys) lamb’s-ear which is used in therapeutic and sensory garden beds. The youth love touching the soft foliage.”

Other plants include Salvia Crystal Blue and ostrich ferns.

Numerous cedars and junipers will provide year-round colour and also serve to define the different areas.

“But now we have to add more plant textures,” Bonde says.

And this is where you come in. If you would like to donate plants or cash to support this amazing therapeutic garden, please contact Victoria Hospital Foundation.

“We can also provide a list of plants that we couldn’t put in because of budget constraints,” says Bonde.

Imbrogno adds, “The therapeutic garden sends a powerful message to our community that every individual deserves a safe space that fosters patient-centred healing.”

colleenizacharias@gmail.com