Natural spaces benefit our bodies and our brains every season of the year. These quick and easy horticultural experiences bring nature indoors this winter, helping to encourage socialization and improve mental health while getting longevity out of seasonal plants.

1. Repurpose holiday flowers. Offer seniors a multi-sensory experience of creating their own homemade potpourri. Dry the faded blooms by setting them on a tray covered with paper towels and placing in a dry, warm space. Turn over once a day to rid the blooms of excess moisture. Once dry, offer an array of scented oils for seniors to choose from. Encourage them to choose a dominant scent and add four drops of that scent to the faded blooms. Then, add one drop of an accent scent. Place blooms in an airtight jar and open 24 hours later to discover the delightful scent.

2. Create dried orange slice decorations. Collect fallen twigs from your therapeutic garden and place in a vase. Dry orange slices on parchment paper in an oven set to 250 degrees for two to three hours. When cool, poke a hole through the orange flesh near the rind, tie a ribbon through each orange and hang the ornaments on the twigs.

3. Repurpose evergreen wreaths and trees. Delight the birds in your therapeutic garden by adding old, live wreaths or an evergreen tree. Secure the tree either by wiring it to a post or placing the trunk in a five-gallon bucket filled with wet sand. Place bird feeders in or under the wreaths and tree. The birds will enjoy the sheltered dining area, while seniors will enjoy watching new feathered friends visit the garden.