A welcoming green space designed to connect persons living with dementia and caregivers with the restorative and healing effects of nature.
What is a therapeutic garden?
A therapeutic garden is an accessible green space designed to engage specific populations with the healing and restorative elements of nature. Therapeutic gardens offer rich sensory environments in which to hold gardening programs aimed at healing, rehabilitation, and emotional solace for individuals living with chronic diseases, psychiatric disorders, injury, or trauma, often led by trained professionals known as horticultural therapists.
What is the difference between a therapeutic garden and a memory garden?
We call Maude's Garden a "memory garden," a type of therapeutic garden that offers a protected botanical space for dementia-friendly programming and opportunities, as well as unique design features and accomodations for people living with memory loss. A memory garden is also defined by the participation of professionals who lead nature-based activities that encourage sensory exploration, social connection, and emotional well-being for people living with memory loss or dementia and their caregivers. Those who have worked in Maude's Garden programs include Laura Rumpf, HTR, and Margaret 'Peach' Jack, HTR, who are Registered Horticultural Therapists and Dawn Robinson, who is a Horticultural Therapy Practitioner. All of these passionate individuals have also collaborated with Genevieve Wanucha, Maude's Garden Project Lead, to contribute to the original garden plan, design, or ongoing development of the garden.
Maude's Garden at the Memory Hub is Washington State's first public memory garden and winner of the 2025 Therapeutic Design Award from the American Horticultural Therapy Association. This award is given in recognition of excellence in therapeutic design and programming within landscapes designed and maintained for therapeutic purposes.
Features of Maude's Garden
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An ADA-accessible, circular path
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Many seating options, a raised garden bed, a water feature, and a sheltered gathering area
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Easy access to restrooms and gated entry and exit
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A distinctive stone hardscape supporting seasonal plantings and works of art
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Birdsong, herbal scents, and textures that encourage gentle sensory engagement and reminiscence
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Enclosed within lush greenery, visitors often say the garden lends a feeling of safety and protection within one of the busiest urban environments of Seattle
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A space for dementia-friendly therapeutic horticulture, nature-based programs, garden care work parties, and tea workshops
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Covered Area (Pictured: Dawn Robinson and Peach Jack, HTR)
Therapeutic Horticulture / Nature-Based Activities
About Maude's Garden
A project of the Memory and Brain Wellness Center, Maude's Garden opened March 2022 at the Memory Hub, located beside the Frye Art Museum. Named Maude's Garden in honor of our late community member and advocate Maude M. Ferry, this therapeutic memory garden is designed to enhance the lives of people living with dementia and their families, as well as provide a relaxing, restorative space for all. Maude's Garden is the site of the Garden Discovery Program offered by the MBWC and Seattle Parks and Recreation. We applied and built on the key features of therapeutic landscape design in our process of creating a garden for people living with memory loss and their loved ones. We worked with Stone Soup Gardens as the contractor for Maude's Garden's hardscape. The garden's development and upkeep are ongoing and incorporate feedback from community members living with memory loss and caregivers.
“Maude’s Garden is one among many gardens that demonstrate excellence in therapeutic design and programming,” says Laura Rumpf, a registered horticultural therapist who consults on the development, design, and use of Maude’s Garden. "But what makes it stand out is its stunning model of collaboration in a small and challenging environment in the middle of a busy city. Maude’s Garden, intentionally designed for those with memory loss, welcomes partnerships to build a supportive community.”
What is a Memory Garden?
Genevieve Wanucha is the project lead for Maude's Garden at the Memory Hub, as well as the Communications Specialist for the UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center and Memory Hub. She works to ensure that Maude's Garden provides a therapeutic space for the dementia community, in terms of the garden's design, health, programming, and community engagement. She leads the garden maintenance and ongoing development projects, with help from volunteers and Stone Soup Gardens. Additionally, Genevieve collaborates with Memory Hub team members to conceive and facilitate garden-related programs and workshops.
Marigrace Becker is UW Memory and Brain Wellness Center's Program Manager for Community Education and Impact and director of the new Memory Hub. She is passionate about building dementia-friendly communities and excited to see the way the Memory Hub will create new opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
Margaret (Peach) Jack, HTR, served as the Landscape Designer in the development of Maude's Garden. She is a registered Horticultural Therapist, in accordance with the American Horticultural Therapy Association guidelines. Peach has long worked to create safe spaces for learning and personal growth, often using classrooms and outdoor settings to offer retreats and special learning environments for children and adults. Peach now offers nature-based activities in several programs held at the Memory Hub.
Laura Rumpf, HTR, is the Healing Garden Consultant for the Memory Garden. She is a registered Horticultural Therapist and serves on the board of the American Horticultural Therapy Association. She has served many populations including those living with dementia and their care partners, veterans, and those with brain injury, developmental disabilities, and intellectual disabilities.
Team Bios
Upcoming Events
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Monday, April 13, 2026 at 1:30pm
Join us to volunteer in Maude’s Garden at the Memory Hub!
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Garden Discovery Program - Spring
Friday, May 1, 2026 at 10:30am
Join us in the garden at the Memory Hub. Discover changes through the season, engage in nature-based projects, and learn about this public memory garden, created for people living with dementia and their families in this 3-part series.
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Monday, May 11, 2026 at 1:30pm
Join us to volunteer in Maude’s Garden at the Memory Hub!
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Friday, May 15, 2026 at 2:00pm
Start your afternoon at the Frye with an art discussion inspired by nature, then continue next door to The Memory Hub for a creative botanical-themed experience inspired by Maude’s Garden. Designed for people living with dementia and their care partners, this event invites pairs to connect through creativity, conversation, and sensory experiences.
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Garden Discovery Program - Spring
Friday, June 5, 2026 at 10:30am
Join us in the garden at the Memory Hub. Discover changes through the season, engage in nature-based projects, and learn about this public memory garden, created for people living with dementia and their families in this 3-part series.
