Plants and People: An Interactive Garden

Unearthing a world of experiences for people living with Alzheimer's

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Summaries of Past Events by Erin Fitts, Director of Retail and Visitor Services

Monday, April 12, 2010

What a wonderful program today! We all came to work this morning in a huge downpour, but the rain let up just at the right time for the Plants and People program. After an indoor lunch due to the weather, everyone got on the tram for a lovely tour. The tram tour guide started off the tour talking about some common uses for plants in the garden, beginning with mangos and the silk floss tree. The volunteers passed around samples of the plant materials as the tram guide spoke. As the tour continued, participants also got to smell the leaves of the allspice tree. One woman kept the allspice leaf in her hand for quite some time, smelling it over and over before finally exclaiming that it reminded her of the smell of the tea she used to drink. The same woman later loved smelling the bay rum leaf because that one smelled like the cologne her father had worn. 

The guide continued the tour with many questions and answers about how plants are used and how their common names are sometimes similar to how the plants look. More plant samples were passed around, as well. Two favorite stops were the butterfly garden, where a flurry of butterflies greeted the tram as it pulled up, and the cycad circle, where everyone loved looking at the cycad cones. Another fun stop for the group was in the lowlands, where the tour guide stopped to show what a petticoat palm looked like with the skirt and then without the skirt. 

As the tour came to the end, the woman who had enjoyed the smell of the allspice and bay rum leaves so much enthusiastically said, “Thank you so much for having us today!” 

Monday, April 19, 2010 

While the day started off with light rain, the rain cleared and the sun came out once everyone from the group boarded the tram. Joining us today were two veterans; one of them, named George, enjoyed a dance before getting on the tram and was so happy to be with the group. The other veteran, nicknamed Captain, liked hearing where some of the plants were from, as he had seen some of the countries while in the service. Many people enjoyed feeling the thatch from the belly palm and looking at the samples of palm leaves in different shapes. The butterflies were also out again in the butterfly garden to the delight of everyone on the tram. Today Forest Through the Trees, artist Cameron Gainer’s depiction of Bigfoot, prompted spontaneous laughter today as we passed by. Two red-headed woodpeckers swooped down and flew around the lake as we entered the lowlands, a perfect scene as the tram tour was nearing the end. It was a beautiful day in a beautiful garden with wonderful people!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

This Saturday was our busiest Plants & People program so far--over fifty people participated! One participant, part of a small group from the V.A., was a one-hundred-year-old World War II veteran. Another woman brought her mother and father, both of whom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Our friends Jay and Laura Jones were back again and had a terrific time. Jay Jones is a local Alzheimer’s advocate who has early-stage Alzheimer’s, and both Jay and Laura have provided invaluable comments and feedback on the development of this program. Coral Gables Television was also here today to interview staff members and film the program. 

While the homemade cookies made by one of our Visitor Services Associates for lunch are always popular, this time they got a round of applause! A favorite sighting on the tram tour today was the mango tree with tiny mangos. The tram tour guide always shows mango fruits and talks briefly about David Fairchild in the very beginning of each tour. Many participants were excited to make the connection between the mango fruits shown in the beginning of the tour and the mango tree with the tiny mangos later in the tour. 

Monday, May 10, 2010

Today was the final program for the 2009-2010 Plants and People season and it was attended by 51 people. While the plant materials that are passed around by the volunteers are always fun for the participants, the stars of the show today were all of the garden’s flowering trees. The tram passed right under the gorgeous purple blooms of the jacaranda tree and the lignum vitae, with butterflies dancing around it, was also a favorite.  Everyone had fun marveling over the colorful flowering trees and plants, the pods on the cacao tree and the tiny mangos outside of the Tropical Fruit Pavilion. The overflowing edible garden in the Tropical Fruit Pavilion was also a delight for many. As we passed by Mark di Suvero’s sculpture She, everyone laughed at the three Visitor Services employees who moved all of the pieces of the sculpture for the program participants. After watching one employee perched on the swing of the sculpture, one woman remarked that she would like to work here because we get to play all day! In a way, it is like playing all day to be surrounded by such a beautiful garden and having the pleasure of participating in programs such as Plants and People. Our next season will resume in the fall with dates to be announced, and we hope to see a few familiar faces and many new ones.

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The first ever Plants and People-an Interactive Garden group photo.