How I turned my love of gardening into an organisation that helps people with dementia

Being in the outdoors has always been part of who I am, but my love of gardening came a bit later in life. Not just as a hobby or a way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but as something that genuinely centres me, that slows me down, connects me to the seasons, and reminds me that growth takes time and patience. It took me a while to realise that what I found in my garden, others might need too.

This is the story of how a career change, a dementia diagnosis, and a lot of time spent in the garden together led me to co-found Your Garden Companions.

About five years ago, I made the decision to retrain in horticulture. I gained my certificate through Newton Rigg College, with the beautiful gardens at Lowther Castle as my classroom, which, I have to say, is not a bad place to spend your days learning. After that, I completed a year-long practical placement on a private estate in Cumbria, working under an experienced head gardener who taught me to look at a garden properly: not just what it looks like, but what it needs.

Retraining as an adult is not always easy, but I never once doubted the decision. Horticulture made sense to me in a way that little else had. There is a rhythm to it, a logic, a patience, a connection to something larger than yourself. I wanted to spend my working life in that rhythm.

During my training, my dad began to struggle with independent living. He had been diagnosed with dementia, and the changes gradually came. It was a difficult time for all of us, as it is for so many families navigating a dementia diagnosis.

What I found, though, was that when we were in the garden together, something shifted. The conversation flowed more easily. He was more present, more himself. We would share ideas about what to plant, sow seeds side by side, and stop for tea when the mood took us. Those hours had a quality to them that I struggled to find elsewhere. The garden gave us a language when other words started to fail.

I noticed how the familiar rhythm of gardening, the textures, the smells, the seasonal tasks seemed to reach my dad in ways that ordinary conversation sometimes could not. He remembered the names of favourite plants. He had opinions about where things should go. He was, in those moments, fully there.

Research backs up what I was experiencing intuitively. Gardening engages the senses, stimulates memory, provides gentle physical activity, and, crucially, offers a reason to be outside and in company. For people living with dementia, that combination can make a real difference to quality of life. But I did not need the research to tell me that. I had seen it with my own eyes.

That experience stayed with me. I kept thinking about how many people might be in a similar position, either living with dementia themselves, or caring for someone who is, and how a garden that had once been a source of joy might now feel like a burden, or be going unvisited altogether.

So, together with the help and support of my husband Pete, and my co-founder Tara, I set up Your Garden Companions. We are a Community Interest Company based in Cumbria and South West Scotland, offering one-to-one companion gardening sessions and group gardening sessions for elderly and less able people. We work alongside social prescribers, care coordinators, and families to reach the people who would benefit most.

If you have a family member living with dementia,or if you are supporting someone who has lost their connection to their garden — we would love to have a conversation. Get in touch →