The gardens that grace the grounds of Hospice Ministries have their roots in a simple gesture of comfort. Years ago, Hospice Ministries used silk roses in memorial observances for those who died while in hospice care. Dr. Tom Stevens, a Hospice Ministries supporter and former board member, felt that real roses would provide an extra touch; after all, nowhere is the cycle of life and death demonstrated more simply and clearly than in nature. Envisioning a garden that would bring that symbolism and the tranquility of natural beauty to the Hospice grounds, Dr. Stevens volunteered his wife June as Hospice’s unofficial gardener.
“Tom started with rose bushes from our own garden,”June Stevens recalls. “Some of them had been my mother’s roses. Then I begged, borrowed, and stole plants and flowers from my friends and persuaded nurseries to donate plants to Hospice. Some of those original plantings are still there today. “Under June’s direction and care, the Hospice Ministries gardens grew. Today, nearly 20 years since the first roses bloomed, the gardens are a place of peace and beauty where patients and their families gather, a natural sanctuary ideal for prayer, meditations, or simply enjoying the sunshine.
“I gardened to bring some joy and beauty not only to the patients but also to their families,” June says. “I wanted the gardens and patio to be a place of respite, a refuge they could seek out while they coped with the loss they knew was ahead.”June maintained the gardens for some 15 years, working with other volunteers who also understood the need for a natural sanctuary at Hospice. When Dr. Tom Stevens died, a section of the garden was christened the Stevens Courtyard, and a pergola was built in his honor near the rose garden where his idea originally took root. When asked about the gardens of Hospice Ministries, June speaks of the many plants and flowers she nurtured, as well as the lives those blooms and greenery brightened, even in the darkest of times. While June no longer gardens at Hospice Ministries, the tradition lives on through countless volunteers giving of their time to ensure the beauty of such a special place.
“Sometimes when I was there gardening on a spring day, I’d see patients having a little picnic in the garden swith their families,” June recalls. “Just seeing them there, enjoying that peace and time together in that setting was very rewarding for me. Creating those gardens at Hospice was a ministry I performed for patients and their families, but the gardens and those families ended up becoming a wonderful ministry to me.”