Still Gardening Program and Garden Mates

Two women enjoying gardening

Many seniors who live in Hobart are passionate gardeners, but sometimes looking after a garden is too much for them.

Gardening is an important way for seniors to keep fit and strong enough to stay living in their own homes. Gardening provides gentle exercise, sunshine, and mental and emotional stimulation. But as we age, some gardening jobs like bending down to weed, getting up again, reaching up to prune and lifting heavy weights become hard.

Garden Mates

The Still Gardening Program, run by the City of Hobart, gives seniors a chance to stay active in their homes and gardens. We support a team of dedicated and inspiring volunteers – Garden Mates – who go out and work one-on-one with seniors in their gardens helping them keep on doing what they love: getting their hands dirty and enjoying the outdoors.

Garden Mates offer friendship and support for seniors, they work with them – not for them – and encourage them to look at low maintenance gardening to make it easier to keep enjoying their gardens.

Becoming a Garden Mate

As a Garden Mate you will work with a senior person for one or two hours a week in their garden helping them with gardening jobs like weeding, pruning and lifting heavy weights.

By working with a senior person you will help them to feel safe and confident to get outside. You will also be a friendly face with whom they can chat and share their passion for the garden. View the Still Gardening volunteer role description(PDF, 471KB).

The Still Gardening Program provides volunteers with an induction and first aid training, skills-based workshops, toolkits, a tool library, regular lunch catch-ups, reimbursement for travel, free police checks, and free flu and tetanus immunisations.

If you can give one or two hours a week to a senior person in the Hobart or Glenorchy municipal areas, and you want to help someone stay at home, please complete and submit the Still Gardening volunteer application form. Alternatively, you can print and complete the paper form(PDF, 97KB) and submit in one of the following ways:

  • email: stillgardening@hobartcity.com.au
  • in writing: Still Gardening Program, City of Hobart, GPO Box 503, Hobart 7000
  • in person: Customer Service Centre, 16 Elizabeth Street, Hobart.

Becoming a client

To participate in the Still Gardening Program, you need to be referred to us from My Aged Care. Please contact My Aged Care by calling 1800 200 422 to ask about whether there is availability for the Still Gardening Program.

Contact us

Phone: 03 6236 9349

Email: stillgardening@hobartcity.com.au

Address: Lower Level Mathers House
108 Bathurst Street, Hobart
GPO Box 503, Hobart TAS 7000

Still Gardening is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

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