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Our Mission:

is to establish relationships within the Tulsa senior community based on our love of gardening and the desire to share our expertise and knowledge for their continuing horticultural interest.

Our Objectives are:

to establish a partnership with a selected senior living center for a period of one growing season. During this period we will encourage the residents to become involved in the planning and development of container gardens for their courtyard areas. Container gardening includes: raised beds, hanging baskets and freestanding planters. We will provide consultation as needed after the first growing season.

Is to develop short programs of horticultural interest for presentation to senior citizens. Our long term goal is to have a repertoire of programs available for a variety of seniors.

One of the joys of being a Master Gardener is helping others enjoy gardening. Many of us cannot imagine a day without at least a walk through our own gardens, doing what we love - digging, planting, pruning and reaping the benefits. But for those Seniors who have moved into assisted living facilities, that part of life is only a memory.

That's where our Senior Living Committee comes in. For the seventh year in a row, we will be going into Centers to share our love of gardening with others. In the early fall throughout the winter, we take short programs to them: forced bulbs planted for enjoyment in rooms, silly chia pets which sprout grass "hair", colorful seed mosaics suitable for gifting to family members, wind chimes made of clay pots, "feathered friends" bird feeders and living table decorations.

Although the Activities Directors tell us that the Seniors look forward to our visits, we are truly the ones who have all the fun. We've met some lovely people and truly received as much as we've given. And we've had a lot of laughs along the way!

Once a year, we select a Center for our "makeover". Then in early spring, we plant containers with colorful annuals, offer advice for existing plantings and landscape an area that is used by the Seniors, usually a courtyard or existing bed with ornamentals and perennials. We build raised beds to accommodate wheel chair occupants and others who want to enjoy the touch and smell of various plants without bending over. Our first project in 1999 was St. Simeons, followed by Marriott Brighton Gardens and Heatheridge Heights in 2000, University Village in 2001, The OASIS Day Center in 2002, and in 2003, Alterra Sterling Assisted Living.

Our Committee of over 80 MGs is a dedicated group who love to get their hands dirty, and continue all through the summer heat tending the Center's garden to make sure it gets off to a healthy start. So the next time you hear one of us discussing Senior Living, we hope you'll have a better understanding of what we do and why we love it.

Contact Senior Living Committee