Resident inspired Zen Garden adds area of tranquillity to care home

A new Zen Garden has been unveiled in a Tunbridge Wells care home.

92-year-old resident, Drummond, has been the inspiration and guiding light behind a newly opened Zen Garden at Halliwell Care Home in Tunbridge Wells.

The 64-bed care home boasts beautiful, landscaped gardens and outstanding views over the Royal Tunbridge Wells Dunorlan Park and lake, but a small area of the external gardens was proving hard to manage.

Leon Farmer, Maintenance Officer at Halliwell heads up a team who are responsible for keeping the property in tip top condition, both inside and out.

“Residents are very much involved in what goes on at the home, the garden in particular very much belongs to the residents, it is their space. Drummond came to us a while ago and said he had an idea for a particular area that was proving hard to maintain. He wanted to create a Zen Garden.”

Following lengthy discussion and research into ideas and costings, local firm Lucas Landscapes were employed to carry out the build and re-structure the space. Drummond was on hand to project manage, supported by Leon and his team and following four weeks of work, the space was transformed, ready for enjoying by the end of April.

On seeing the completed garden, Drummond commented: “I am delighted with the beautiful space that has been created. After long and eventful lives, our residents at Halliwell may find moments of peace, reflection, and calm in our Zen Garden. It will benefit everyone.”

A Zen Garden, or Japanese dry garden, incorporates a minimalist landscape design featuring raked gravel or sand, rocks and limited use of greenery. These spaces originated in Japanese Buddhist temples and are designed to facilitate meditation and contemplation, using natural elements. The gravel is raked into patterns to create the appearance of water or movement, capturing the essence of nature rather than its literal appearance.

“This is a truly resident led project”, comments Home Manager, Karl Pay. “We are all absolutely delighted with the new garden which can be viewed from the dining room and is accessible for all to enjoy. Thank you to all our residents and team for their input and inspiration.”

The 25ftsq Zen Garden is a place for quiet reflection, complete with tranquil water feature and a lovely Japanese Acer tree. Since its completion, the garden has attracted the attention of visitors to the home and there has been extremely positive feedback from everyone.

Drummond has continued to play an important role by welcoming visitors, discussing the garden’s development, and explaining the spiritual and holistic inspiration behind the design.

Maintenance Officer Leon has made a special rake to help maintain the gravel patterns, telling us that he finds the space very each to manage and a therapeutic part of his daily work routine.

Halliwell is located on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells and was originally a private country residence. Now part of the Elizabeth Finn group of care homes, it offers residential and nursing care on a short- and long-term basis.