As autumn approaches it can often feel like the garden is winding down for the winter. While there are many clearing and pruning jobs to be done it is also important to remember that the garden and in fact any outdoor green space can be an important indicator that the seasons are changing.  Gardens provide us with a wealth of sensory experience, and when caring for people with dementia, gardens can be used in many other ways too. They act as aide-memoires and calendars to assist people in connecting with time and place. For carers, a garden is an essential tool to enhance the quality of life for someone with dementia.

We have compiled a fact sheet to give you ideas on how you can use your garden throughout the seasons from picking berries for bird feeders to planting bulbs. There are so many ways in which we can use gardens and outdoor spaces to help us recognise and talk about the seasons and when it’s not possible to get outside you can always bring the outdoors in.

View our seasonal garden factsheet (pdf)