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Strategy 3.10
Vegetation

A shared garden at Lakeside Seniors Apartments. Photo: David Baker Architects

3.10.1

Use a range of vegetation to show the change in seasons

  • Plant seasonal and changing shrubs, flowers, and trees to help cue memories. 

  • Grow a variety of plants that change colour with the seasons, flowers that bloom at different times, and evergreen plants that retain foliage in winter. 

  • Carefully consider maintenance for vegetation near pathways, as fallen leaves can create slipping hazards.  

Planter boxes and street trees. Photo: City of Qualicum Beach

3.10.2

Include natural elements outside of green spaces

  • Include planter boxes, hanging flower boxes, and green walls in urban environments or streetscapes.

  • Plant a range of different street trees to help with wayfinding. 

Vegetation improves people’s sensory experience of the environment, and contact with nature provides wellbeing benefits. People living with dementia can benefit from spaces that use vegetation thoughtfully in all seasons.

Actions under this strategy:

Sensory garden at BCA gallery. Photo: Chenzw / Wikimedia Commons

Create community and memory gardens

3.10.3

  • Create community gardens as social gathering spaces that allow for intergenerational interactions. 

  • Create memory gardens with signage, vegetation, and other placemaking features to provide a familiar place for people living with dementia to spend time outdoors. 

Horniman Museum Garden. Photo: Bongo Vongo / Flickr.

Incorporate aromatic plants

3.10.4

  • Use aromatic plants to help stimulate and engage people’s senses and provide environmental and directional cues. 

  • Plant herbs and fragrant flowers in gardens. 

Dementia-inclusive principles:

Legible: Easy-to-understand direction help people know where they are and where they want to go.

Accessible: Ensures people's ability to read and understand signage at critical points.