"Time to Cultivate Memories While Gardening"... Dongdaemun-gu Promotes Slow Gardening Program

Six-Session Nature Healing Program for High-Risk Dementia Groups and Families
Cognitive Function Improvement Through Plant Activities and Garden Creation at Jeonnong-dong's "Flower Garden of Knowledge"

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) is operating the ‘Slow Gardening Club,’ a program that stimulates the five senses by gardening with flowers and plants for high-risk dementia groups and families of dementia patients starting this year.

This program, designed to help emotional stability and cognitive function improvement through interaction with nature, was prepared in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Parks and Leisure Division.

Held at Jeonnong-dong’s ‘Flower Garden of Knowledge’ from April to May, the program runs once a week for a total of six sessions. Participants engage in activities that awaken their senses and memories through flowers and plants. From theoretical lessons to garden sketching, arranging annual and herb plants, planting, and taking photos of plants, participants directly design and cultivate the garden.

At the first class held on April 3, about 30 participants gathered to plant flowers in the flowerbed and spend time connecting with nature.

Participant A, an elderly person, said, “Planting flowers and touching the soil made my heart feel much lighter. I felt that spring had come quickly, and it was really nice to smile after a long time.”

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, “Gardening is not just a simple horticultural activity but a warm time to restore affection and connection to life. We will continue to prepare various programs so that the elderly can find comfort in their hearts and maintain a healthy daily life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.