Therapeutic gardens

Multifunctional Celebration Garden

In cooperation with a group of students, his assistant Carlos Camara, and landscape architect Luka Jelušić, Professor Daniel Winterbottom worked on the conceptual design for the Insula County Hospital’s first therapeutic garden. His team of 40 students from around the world was aided by the hospital employees from various professions, as well as interested patients, all of whom took part in the garden’s planning and construction. The goal was to create a space within the hospital park for socializing, gatherings, and other activities. The project was carried out by taking into account the surrounding natural and built environment, input from the local community, and cultural considerations. After presenting four conceptual designs, a consensus was reached, and construction began.

The resulting Celebration Garden is a versatile space reminiscent of an amphitheater, designed to accommodate various types of outdoor activities such as performances, therapy groups and lounging. It includes a paved central circular area designed like a stage or auditorium, surrounded by wooden walkways, a mosaic-tiled fountain, and a wooden canopy with lounge chairs for relaxation and contemplation.

During the garden's opening ceremony, student dancers from Venezuela performed an acrobatic samba routine, accompanied by fitting music. Their energetic performance turned the garden into a vibrant dance floor, adding to the joyful atmosphere of the occasion.

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Under the guidance of Professor Winterbottom, the garden was designed and constructed as part of an international landscape architecture student workshop called Design & Build that included both the American students, as well as teachers and students from the Department of Ornamental Plants, Landscape Architecture and Garden Art of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb. In addition to meeting the needs of the hospital users and making a real contribution to the community, a chance to work on the arrangement of the therapeutic garden presented the students of landscape architecture with an extraordinary opportunity to learn and develop their practical skills. Members of the association Dragodid and other volunteers from the community joined them in their creative endeavor by building a dry stone wall within the therapeutic garden, as well as restored the old dry stone wall known as mocira in the immediate vicinity, evoking the times when the area was covered with vineyards. Through organic environmental design, deliberate placement of specialized benches, deckchairs and swings, along with a gazebo, they created a pleasant space for resting, strolling and contemplation, called the Contemplation and Relaxation Garden Anima. It was envisioned as a pier, with the bench in the garden representing a boat, the plants of different heights bringing to mind the sea, and the swing with its rhythmic dynamic is reminiscent of waves.

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Similar to its predecessors, this project was conceived and executed under the guidance of Professor Winterbottom from the Department of Landscape Architecture at the College of Built Environments, University of Washington in Seattle. The realization of this interdisciplinary endeavor involved collaboration with experts from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Zagreb and the enthusiastic participation of students from around the globe. The garden for neurocognitive rehabilitation, named Memory Lane, is thoughtfully designed for individuals with reduced mobility and those with immobility. It is equipped with various aids and engaging activities to facilitate patients in refining their perception, memory, and logical thinking. The garden features specialized instruments for musical therapy, a reflexology path, an air walker, and a dedicated area for animal-assisted therapy. The use of natural materials contributes to creating a highly comfortable environment where patients can engage in physical activities, foster social connections, and find repose in the shade of the gazebo. As the needs of users evolved over time, the garden underwent partial adaptations to enhance mobility. Notably, a small street park was integrated into the space designated for therapy with service dogs, further enriching the versatility of this therapeutic environment.

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This garden is specifically tailored for individuals with reduced mobility and those who require a wheelchair for movement. Elevated beds, known as raised beds, have been installed within the garden, allowing individuals with limited mobility and age-related impairments to have direct contact with the soil and plants, engaging in recreational horticulture activities.

The central part of the garden, visually reaching across a spacious lavender field, features an olive tree, surrounded by rows of fragrant Mediterranean herbs with exceptionally relaxing and calming effects. Immersed in the Mediterranean ambiance of this fragrant garden, patients can rest, relax, and contemplate in peace.

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Many hospital staff members themselves actively participated in the conflict. Inspired by the hospital's longstanding commitment to addressing the psychosocial issues of those affected, the veterans' associations of the island of Rab, stemming from the Croatian War of Independence, collaborated on a project to establish a therapeutic garden within the hospital complex.

The garden, named The Edge of the Sea, emulates the vegetation of the Mediterranean and the coastal landscape. Featuring a rocky area, it seamlessly extends into a spacious lavender field, symbolically evoking the sea. The garden's unique location, situated outside the hospital park yet leaning against its edge, serves as a poignant representation of the vulnerability and profound war traumas experienced by veterans and their families.

In addition to creating a serene environment for patients to establish direct contact with nature, this garden serves as a tribute and memorial to all veterans of the Croatian War of Independence. It holds particular significance for those who have been or are currently undergoing treatment in this healthcare institution, grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other health challenges resulting from wartime events and the post-war period.

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The predominant Lavandula intermedia variety dominates the plantation and is renowned for its beneficial effects on the nervous system, as well as its analgesic, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal properties, making it an excellent natural repellent.

Every summer, Insula County Hospital hosts a grand voluntary lavender harvesting event known as the Art of Wellbeing, uniting a diverse community, including hospital staff, patients, representatives from various institutions, local residents, friends, and guests.

The harvested lavender undergoes a meticulous drying process within the lavender cottage, a renovated building once used as a power plant. Throughout the year, patients at the hospital channel their creativity to craft an array of utilitarian and decorative items from the dried lavender, contributing to therapeutic endeavors.

Inspired by lavender, Maestro Ljubo Stipišić Delmata, a former regular guest of the hospital, drew from the experiences and narratives of the patients to compose soulful songs. This artistic collaboration resulted in the hospital's release of a CD titled Duša lavande (Lavender Soul), featuring performances by traditional Dalmatian a capella groups known as klapa.

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Aimed at expanding therapeutic programs and encouraging patients to actively spend their leisure time outdoors, six pieces of equipment have been installed for various exercises targeting almost all muscle groups. By using the body's own weight, simple exercises are designed to develop repetitive and static strength with minimal risk of injury.