When Joanne Royaltey puts on her gardening gloves this Saturday, it will not only be to join in on the Blue Ridge Hospice Sowing Hope grief workshop. Joanne will also be sharing her own story of grief and how plants and gardening have intertwined with her journey.
“Saturday October 22 is the 20th anniversary of my daughter’s passing — a day I could never fathom would happen,” shares Joanne.
“I cannot think of any place more special to be on this day then to be sharing my own grief and gardening journey with others who have experienced a devastating loss.”
"My daughter gave me a plant for Mother's Day, shortly after she began treatment for cancer. The azalea plant now lives and thrives happily in my garden and not a day goes by that it doesn’t bring me joy and reinforce my connection to my daughter and all that we shared and loved,” says Joanne.
The ‘Sowing Hope’ Workshop
The hands-on, interactive workshop exploring the therapeutic benefits of gardening will take place on Saturday October 22, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM at Sherando Park in Stephens City.
Participants will create a “bulb lasagna” to take home and learn about fall and winter gardening activities. All are invited to bring seeds to share.
Sowing Hope is a workshop dreamt up by Blue Ridge Hospice Grief Counselor Courtney McCalley. “Joanne’s story is the very reason we created this grief and gardening workshop — the joy, hope, and growth that can occur through gardening even after tremendous loss,” explains McCalley.
Click here to register, call 540-313-9214, or email griefsupport@blueridgehospice.org.
Joanne will join us at the Sowing Hope workshop to share winter gardening tips along with handouts and seeds, as well as her own personal journey of gardening through grief.
“Having had a daughter pass after a battle with cancer, I know first-hand how important it is to be ‘engaged in life’, in whatever way you can be, whether healthy or impacted by illness or loss,” shared Joanne.
Joanne is both a Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener and the Virginia Cooperative Extension Frederick Consumer Horticulture & Invasive Species Program Associate. You may have even heard her on your local radio station talking about one of her areas of expertise, the Spotted Lanternfly.
