4 January 2024
Bringing back tropical memories with the power of plants
Our reminiscence programme for African-Caribbean people with dementia used Kew's tropical plants to uncover memories of home.
The sights, sounds and smells of nature can bring back powerful memories. Perhaps the crunch of autumn leaves reminds you of going back to school, or the smell of freshly mown grass reminds you of lazy summer afternoons.
These external memory prompts are especially important for people with dementia.
For those who immigrated to the UK from warmer climates, like tropical Africa and the Caribbean, it’s harder to find the plants they remember from their younger days.
So, we invited a group of them to Kew to spend time with the plants they grew up with.
Our dementia-friendly programme
Kew runs a free monthly programme of dementia-friendly health walks, since reminiscing and spending time in nature are great ways to improve mood and wellbeing for people with dementia.
In summer 2023, working with west London day centre Nubian Life, with funding from the ENLIVEN project, our Community and Access Team brought a group of people with dementia from African-Caribbean backgrounds to Kew for a six-week ‘reminiscence programme’.
Led by Ghanaian artist Seiwa Cunningham and a diverse team of volunteers, our participants found links to long-held memories of home.
Reflections on home
Each reminiscence day was paired with an art activity to get the group expressing themselves.
These pop-up postcards were inspired by a ‘world tour’ of Kew's Temperate House.
Our horticulture and glasshouse teams brought in examples of soursop, custard apple, bananas, cacti and succulents – all grown in Kew’s glasshouses and nurseries.
The group got their hands dirty with clay models of their favourite plants.
There was plenty of time for storytelling and passing on a few growing tips to Kew’s horticulturists, as well as cake and a singsong for participant Winifred’s 97th birthday.
Plant power
Everyone was encouraged to join in however they felt comfortable, and the mood-boosting power of nature kicked in for many participants, who went from reserved and quiet to open and bubbly.
'One participant who was slightly hostile towards us during our initial outreach session became incredibly warm and excited to see us. She told us, “I’m enjoying it physically, I’m enjoying it spiritually!” ', says Ben White, Discovery and Access Learning Co-ordinator in Kew’s Learning and Participation Team, who organised the reminiscence programme.
Kew's historical collections
Our Economic Botany collection provided artefacts made with indigo, which has a long history of cultivation in Jamaica.
Paired with an indigo tie-dying workshop, it sparked candid discussions about who owns nature, who decides what crops to grow, and the colonial history of botanical gardens like Kew.
A meeting of trailblazers
Then it was off to the Marianne North Gallery to have a go at painting a botanical masterpiece.
This prolific 19th century artist travelled solo all over the world and painted plants in their natural settings, both of which were against the conventions of her time.
‘She didn’t go to Grenada? She missed out, then’ , said George, proud Grenadian.
The talk of travel reminded some participants of their first days in the UK. The racism and discrimination they faced as new arrivals in London had left a mark on many memories.
At the Shirley Sherwood Gallery, the enchanting exhibition All the Flowers are for Me inspired a session of making light boxes.
Ben White commented, 'A highlight was hearing Christine, who often didn’t speak, humming a hymn and singing the words “Kew Gardens” instead of the lyrics’ .
Each participant decorated a personalised memory box containing their artwork, a photo album of their sessions at Kew and a postcard from the team to remind them of their time in the Gardens.
Helping hands
Most of the participants had advanced dementia and mobility impairments, so they appreciated the support of the reminiscence programme to get the most out of Kew.
‘As an observer and project partner, it was especially pleasing to see how participants’ expressions and mood significantly changed when they were able to interact with Kew's international collection of plants.
This transformation illustrates how nature and green spaces can help people at different stages of their dementia journey,’ says Professor Stephen Page of the University of Hertfordshire, who is studying ways to improve access to nature for older people with cognitive impairments as part of the ENLIVEN project.
‘The reminiscence programme has been a reminder of what an incredible place Kew Gardens is and the positive effect it can have on people with just a little bit of support.
Our amazing collections can mean so many different things to different people and can benefit people in surprising ways,’ says Ben White.
Get involved
Kew Gardens runs regular free dementia-friendly health walks between March and November.
We also run free tours for visitors with visual impairments and visitors using BSL; monthly wellbeing walks, arts-based learning activities and hands-on horticulture workshops.
Kew's Community Access Scheme is a highly discounted group annual membership for organisations supporting people who may face barriers to visiting Kew. Come along to our free Community Open Week in May to get a taste of everything we offer.
Find out more about our community and access learning programmes.
