Gardening in Retirement

by Rita Reitz

I was eight years old when my mother gave me my first package of zinnia seeds and my own garden plot in a side yard of our home in Ripley, Tennessee. Little did I dream that I would develop a lifetime love of gardening and flower arranging.  My zinnias and Queen Anne’s Lace weeds from our pasture got used for table arrangements whenever my mom served her delicious Southern dishes to guests.  After I left home I grew flowers and a few vegetables whenever I could — including having an award-winning garden in a Menlo Park, CA, neighorhood a mile from Sunset Magazine.

When I moved to RVM, I took ownership of my Plaza unit before it was finished and brought 60 carefully potted perennials to begin my garden in the area where our Memory Care facility is now located.  The first weekend of May I put in my irrigation system and planted the plants before returning home to pack, sell my house and move to RVM six weeks later. When I returned, I found my garden already blooming and growing beautifully.

With the help of Liz Caldwell, the resident garden chairperson at that time, a tour of the gardens was arranged with lemonade and cookies served in our new gazebo, and music provided by Preston Mitchell, Mary Jane Morrison, Erika Barrows and members of the recorder ensemble.

About seven years ago we learned that the resident gardens would be moved at the end of the summer to a new location to make way for the new Memory Support building.  Then that date was revised and we suddenly had to prepare to vacate beginning April 1.  I had a trip to Russia planned for mid-April, so quickly began potting my perennials in order to move as soon as plots were available. I managed to move those pots to the new location before I left, but the soil in the new raised beds was a huge disappointment and required a lot of amendments before actual planting could begin when I returned.  When completed, the resident gardens had 107 plots, 10 free-standing raised containers, and a greenhouse. Gardening there became a very popular activity.

When Covid-19 hit – with a campus lock down, social interactions curtailed, and bagged meals delivered to our doors — gardening suddenly became a wonderful way to visit and spend time outside. I embarked on a project to introduce folks to the garden and to each other.  With the help of Jeannette Bournival and others providing editorial, video and soundtrack help, I produced a video where I interviewed Greg Tuman, our Grounds Supervisor at that time, who had designed and coordinated the plans for our new Resident Garden.  Greg contributed photos of the area before and during  development, and resident Barry Johnson provided drone coverage for our production.  Each resident garden area was included in our virtual tour, which is still available for viewing online at:  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rogue+Valley+Manor+Resident+Gardens

I recently hosted “Music in the Garden” where all RVM residents were invited to tour my English style country garden and also some other gardens where gardeners placed balloons to welcome guests.  I provided piano music with guests sitting at tables under pop-up canopies with lemonade, music and even several karaoke-style vocal numbers including “The Rose” sung by visitors.  I chose this time of the season to feature my signature garden trellis blooming with Cecil Brunner miniature pink roses, along with other late spring flowers including many roses, peonies, iris, columbine, primroses, sweet peas, pansies, and hydrangeas, among the 75 or more kinds of plants growing in my garden plots.

I invite folks to visit my garden and, as my sign says: “Welcome to my garden.  Sit and enjoy.  Happiness grows here.”  From my garden bench under the trellis, one sees Mt. Ashland, Centennial Golf Course, a bird bath with solar fountain, and a bird house, currently with two families of birds—tree swallows and English sparrows — in addition to a huge number of blooming flowers.  From time to time, I cut roses, zinnias, yarrow, lavender and sweet peas, etc. as they come into season and make small arrangements for residents in the Health Center, Care Suites and others.  Happiness grows in my garden!!