The potential list of garden features is endless, so here we will just give some ideas of features that might be especially useful in a therapeutic garden such as water features, handrails, toilet, bird life, and outdoor games.
Water features
Water is a great attraction and gives life to the garden through movement or with living fish and frogs in a pond, or insects and birds searching for water. The sound of running water can also be very smooth and relaxing in the nature surroundings. But there are some warnings using water features in the therapeutic gardens. It must be made safe. Safe for falling and hygienically safe.
Creating a safe space to prevent falling can be done by constructing high borders or waist high grab rails that make it difficult to fall in, or by providing a metal mesh over the top, which, if well designed can be attractive.
Moving water that is well maintained (at least one cleaning every three months), should not be a hazard to health. There are special filters that could be installed that purify the water, if there are special concerns, like in hospital gardens. In still water it is much more complicated to guarantee no bacterial growth and is therefore not recommended. This doesn´t mean that a pond with fish can be installed, but the installation for water circulation and cleaning must be taken seriously.
There should be a sign on all fountains, even though it is drink water that is used, that indicates it is NOT recommended to drink.
Some other aspects that are important when choosing fountain or water features is that the water doesn´t splash to the pavement around and make it slippery and a potential fall danger.
The resulting sound of the fountain is also of importance and not necessarily pleasant. A good water feature should be soothing to listen to. Water falling along a wall or water in a waist high trickling fountain usually provides a comforting sound.
Handrails
In most countries the law imposes handrails when there is a slope with an inclination bigger than 6-10 %. But for some users in the therapeutic garden, it could be of great help to have a single handrail also when the ground is flat, for example for users with visual impairments and poor balance. Many older adults may also appreciate having a handrail close by, giving them security in their daily strolling tour outside.
The handrail should be at 0,90-1,05 m from the ground and the rail should be comfortable to grab. Usually, it is easier to grab a round rail than squared big wooden rails. Handrails should be continuous and with a recommended diameter between 40-50 mm.
The most common material is aluminum, but it has the inconvenience to become very hot in the sun. It is preferable to use iron or some other metal and paint it with metal paint of good quality, in a color that will not become excessively hot in the sun. (light grey, moss green, beige).
Toilet
Most gardens have a building close to the garden and no extra “garden toilet” is needed. If the distance is too large and the users are not able to plan their need of going to the toilet, the proximity to the toilet will give people the confidence to go outside without worrying.
The installation of a toilet is a nuisance, but it could be a factor of high importance to the USE or NOT USE of the garden.
Bird and insect life
It might not always be possible to keep animals in the garden, even though it is a wonderful way for users to care for hens or rabbits. Most places do not have professionals that can guard and make sure the animals are taken care of. A substitute for pets could be to encourage birds and insects to come into the garden. Seeing and hearing birds can be therapeutic and provide familiar sounds that users find calming. Apart from using plants and shrubs that attract butterflies and birds, this can be done with water baths for the birds, little food tables, insect homes and bird houses.
Image 46. Apart from plants, we can encourage wildlife and biodiversity in the garden by adding water, insects’ home and bird feeders. Photos by Jardines Terapeuticos.
Games
In the functional zoning chapter, we mentioned a zone for physical activity and how to implement special equipment to strengthen muscles and coordination. Sometimes being in the garden is just a question of pleasure and fun or a group training. The most important aim is “to be outside”. A typical outdoor game can be an interesting complement. Some examples include:
- boules
- La rana (skee ball)
- Crocket
- Kubb (swedish skittles game)
- Mini golf
- Throw rings
If the users wish to enjoy games in the garden it is important to know the size needed and also what kind of hard surfaces are desired. Except for boules, most games are temporary and the surface can be used for other activities as well.