▲Opening of Omok Park Plant Shelter, Biweekly Consultations Linked with Urban Agriculture Park Companion Plant Clinic ▲‘Companion Plant Art Festival’ Held to Promote Companion Plants with Exhibitions and Experience Programs ▲In Second Half, ‘Visiting Companion Plant Care Service’ for 5,000 Apartment Households Providing Repotting Education
Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced on the 8th that it will operate a variety of companion programs for ‘Sikjipsa’ (a compound word of plant + butler) to allow residents to feel the stability and happiness that companion plants bring in their daily lives, ranging from companion plant care to experiential exhibitions.
The programs will be conducted in three areas: ▲Operation of Plant Rest Areas ▲Visiting Companion Plant Care Service ▲Hosting of Companion Plant Accompaniment Art Festival.
First, the recently opened Plant Rest Area located in the corridor of Omok Park displays companion plants and garden supplies, and various activities and programs such as companion plant care, consultation, and treatment are conducted, allowing residents to meditate and relax with plants in the urban environment.
In addition, a program that provides consultation on companion plant care at home or office is held twice a week (Tuesday and Friday). To improve accessibility, it is linked with the Yangcheon Urban Agriculture Park Companion Plant Clinic located in Sinwol-dong, enabling residents who previously had difficulty using the service due to distance to easily access the Omok Park Plant Rest Area. Consultations at the Plant Rest Area are conducted by experts for 40 to 50 minutes per person, and applications can be made through the district office website or by phone.
The ‘Visiting Companion Plant Care Service,’ the first of its kind implemented in Seoul, has been operating with great response after a pilot operation last year. Horticulture experts visit welfare centers, apartments, and other sites directly to provide residents and institution users with necessary information on repotting methods, companion plant pest diagnosis, and care techniques. In the first half of this year, six locations were visited, providing about 680 educational sessions to approximately 230 households. In the second half, starting from the 10th, the service will be sequentially operated targeting about 5,000 households in apartment complexes in Sinjeong-dong and Mok-dong.
The ‘Companion Plant Accompaniment Art Festival,’ introduced for the first time this year, will be held on October 13 at Pari Park and will feature planned exhibitions and experiential programs using companion plants. This is part of the companion plant donation and distribution project promoted by the district since May to enhance the emotional stability and vitality of vulnerable elderly living alone, as loneliness and depression among solitary seniors have recently emerged as social issues.
Flowerpots donated by residents and managed by the Friends of the Park (Garden Friends) have been provided to a total of 380 people, including elderly care service recipients and residents of vulnerable housing areas. Among them, 100 companion plants will be exhibited at this Companion Plant Accompaniment Art Festival, and various planting programs such as succulent experiences will be conducted for about 100 participants. Through this, the district aims to share companion plant culture with residents and create opportunities to restore the self-esteem of elderly people.
Lee Gi-jae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “Through experiencing healthy companion plant culture and experiential content, emotional communication and a sense of accomplishment can be gained,” and added, “We will continue to discover and operate various cultural and leisure projects that can enrich the daily lives of residents.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
