In a world that venerates youth, it’s often difficult to contemplate the ageing process with any equanimity. Of the many valuable lessons that gardening teaches, perhaps one of the most profound is that for everything there is a season.Gardening also teaches us other similarly powerful life lessons about resilience, patience, fortitude and a faith in the future, all good reasons why those who garden tend to live longer, happier lives. Study after study backs this up, showing that regular gardening substantially lowers stress, anxiety and cortisol levels, raises serotonin, reduces the risk of cognitive decline and increases feelings of happiness and wellbeing. One Swedish study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine tracked a group of more than 4,000 older adults over a 12-year period and found that those with the highest levels of everyday physical activity, including gardening, were 27 per cent less likely to suffer some sort of cardiovascular incident.A South Korean study involving 41 older adults found that a 20-minute gardening session significantly increased levels of BDNF and PDGF, proteins associated with brain health and cognitive function.A 2022 US study involving more than 13,000 women found a strong association between greater residential exposure to green space and improved cognitive function, with reduced rates of depression potentially helping to explain the link.A poll of 1,500 adults carried out some years ago by Gardeners World, the well-known British gardening magazine, found that 80 per cent of gardeners were content with their life in comparison to just 67 per cent of non-gardeners, while 93 per cent agreed that gardening made them happier.So, a big hurrah then for Connected with Nature: Life in Full Bloom, the theme of this year’s Nursing Homes Week (August 17th - 23rd), organised by Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI). NHI is the national representative body for the private and voluntary nursing home sector, with 370 of these kinds of nursing homes providing care to more than 27,000 residents in communities around Ireland. Timed to chime with the ancient Celtic festival of Lughnasadh that celebrates the start of the harvest season and is one of the important “cross-quarter” days in the Celtic calendar, the week-long, nationwide celebration will be a combination of gardening talks, immersive walks and practical workshops.An example is Willow Brooke Care Centre in Castleisland, where staff have planned a series of nature-led events under the leadership of director of nursing Mary Craske. Home to 73 residents, many of whom have severe cognitive difficulties, Willow Brooke’s oldest resident is 103 and its youngest is 27. Mary Craske, director of nursing of Willow Brooke Care Centre, with resident Juinor Abdulsalam. Photograph: Domnick Walsh One of the highlights of the Connected With Nature week at Willow Brooke will be a workshop in the centre’s newly created sensory garden. Occupying a 50sq m site within the grounds, and designed and built by the staff on a very modest budget, this outdoor therapeutic space has already been a resounding success.“It’s a very tranquil garden, but also one that touches all the emotions. Everyone loves it, including visitors,” says Craske, adding that its many benefits for residents and staff very quickly became obvious. “Touch, smell, sound, taste, sight … we designed it to stimulate all five senses, from the scented lavender and colourful petunias to the sound of the water feature playing and the taste of homegrown strawberries. I’ve seen patients be almost instantly soothed by the simple act of trailing their fingers gently through the water feature, to the point where, in some cases, it has reduced the need for medication. Even for visiting family members, it’s a lovely, peaceful space for them to unwind, as well as proof that modern care homes like Willow Brooke are a very far cry from the often grim institutions that people might remember from the past.”[ Summer gardening: How to fill the gaps in your flower bordersOpens in new window ]Those thoughts are echoed by Anne Marie McDonnell, activities co-ordinator at Raheny House Nursing Home in Dublin. With the support of staff, residents as well as visiting family members, she’s planned a busy week of activities for this year’s NHI-supported celebrations, with the focus firmly on celebrating the joys that gardening and a deep connection with nature can provide.This year’s events include picking and pressing flowers from the nursing home’s new wildflower meadow; picking fruit from the garden’s mature apple trees to make apple tarts; harvesting and drying bundles of lavender to make scented posies and fashioning home-made birdfeeders to encourage wildlife to visit.McDonnell agrees that the many therapeutic benefits of gardening are undeniable. “We have residents who are dealing with a variety of challenging cognitive issues, and it always amazes me how much they love watching the whole process of a plant growing from a tiny seed,” she says.“One man has Huntington’s disease, and definitely one of his great pleasures this summer has been tending the tomato plants that we sowed this spring, as well as the garden’s giant sunflowers which are now in full bloom. There’s just something about the lifeforce of a plant that people can really connect to.”McDonnell points out that the nationwide, week-long NHI-supported event has also fostered a growing kinship among the hundreds of Irish nursing homes participating in it.“Definitely. We have our own Facebook page where we share lots of different ideas and tips, and it’s been a really great way to learn from each other as well as to be inspired. Humankind’s connection to nature is so fundamental to our wellbeing. Every day I see powerful evidence of that as part of my work at Raheny,” she says.This week in the gardenNow is a great time to broadcast fresh home-harvested seed into flower borders. Photograph: iStock Collect ripe seed of favourite plants, choosing a dry, still day and storing the seed into clearly labelled paper bags or envelopes to avoid confusion. Now is also a great time to broadcast fresh home-harvested seed into flower borders as well as to direct sow the ripe seed of yellow rattle into native wildflower meadows.Start watering tomato plants more lightly to encourage ripening but continue to do so regularly to avoid problems with the fruit splitting or blossom-end rot, always directing it to the base of the plant. A weekly potash-rich liquid feed is also very beneficial at this time of year but only after watering first. Pinching out the main growing tip of cordon/ indeterminate varieties also encourages the plant to concentrate on fruit ripening, as does regular side-shooting.Dates for your diaryGuided history tour of RHSI Bellefield House and Gardens: Birr, Co Offaly; August 20th (2-5pm). Part of Heritage Week 2026, admission €25 includes light refreshments, pre-booking essential. rhsi.ie Creating a Cut Flower Garden Workshop at Leitrim Flowers: Anamadu Fields, Kilnagross, Co Leitrim; Sunday, August 2nd (10am-4pm). €110 including lunch and light refreshments. leitrimflowers.ie