Residents and colleagues at
HC-One’s Fleming Court Care Home in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, have been proudly tending their green spaces this year, creating a vibrant and welcoming garden as part of HC-One’s much-loved annual Gardens in Bloom competition.
The initiative, which runs across the HC-One care home family, celebrates the joy and therapeutic benefits of gardening while bringing together residents, colleagues, families, and the wider community.
Throughout the spring and summer months, the team at Fleming Court transformed their outdoor space into a colourful, multi-sensory haven featuring blooming flower beds, productive vegetable patches, wildlife-friendly features, and comfortable seating areas. Residents enjoyed planting their own flowers, such as Priscilla Thumbelinas, white petunias, and sky-blue petunias, and growing strawberries, carrots, and herbs including rosemary, garlic, thyme, and chives.
One of the core values of Gardens in Bloom is community participation, and Fleming Court certainly delivered. Residents were joined by relatives, local volunteers, and members of the community, including guests during their garden party held as part of Care Home Open Week. The weekly gardening club became a highlight of the calendar, with residents creating hanging baskets, arranging flower beds, and maintaining raised vegetable plots.
Resident Anne Maguire played a special role, spending much of her spring and early summer pruning bushes, tidying borders, and donating many of her own flowers to the project. Her dedication was recognised with the gift of a garden ornament, affectionately named Flemmy the Hedgehog, which now has pride of place in the garden.
The garden also became a haven for wildlife, with birdhouses placed outside residents’ patio doors and filled regularly to attract feathered visitors. Eco-friendly practices were adopted, including using rainwater to keep plants healthy and choosing pollinator-friendly species to support local biodiversity.
Michelle Shotton, Wellbeing Coordinator at HC-One’s Fleming Court Care Home, said:
“Our aim this year was to get as many of our residents as possible into the garden and to create a beautiful space for everyone to enjoy. The transformation has been a real team effort, with residents, relatives, colleagues, and the community coming together. The joy and pride it has brought our residents is incredible, it’s more than just a garden, it’s a place of connection, creativity, and wellbeing.”
Fleming Court’s garden is now a cherished focal point for social gatherings, quiet reflection, and daily enjoyment. The space will continue to flourish thanks to the ongoing care of the residents and their weekly gardening club.
HC-One’s Gardens in Bloom competition saw entries from care homes across the UK, judged on creativity, community engagement, and sustainability. Regional finalists received a plaque and gardening hamper, while the overall winner, selected by HC-One’s Chief Executive Officer James Tugendhat, received a trophy, plaque, gardening hamper, and £300 gift voucher kindly sponsored by Real Trade Supplies.
Fleming Court may not have taken the national title, but their garden has already won the hearts of everyone who visits. As the flowers bloom and the vegetables grow, so too does the community spirit at the heart of the home.