In the harsh and soulless world behind bars, it's little wonder that Indigenous man Tom Caton likes to put his hands in the soil every chance he can.
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Just planted at Canberra's maximum security prison are 2600 bulbs which, come the warmer spring weather, will complement the iceberg roses and the Deua River wattles starting to flourish in the area just beyond the visitor's centre.
The bulbs were meant to find a home in the soil at Commonwealth Park for this year's Floriade but when that long-running event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the call went out to find them new homes and "beds" all around the territory.
And an unexpected response came from the slowly expanding horticulture program at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Horticulture is one of the most popular programs in a prison which was never designed to regularly house more than 450 inmates, and suffers from a lack of industry and engaging skills-based activity.
Greenhouses and garden beds already grow produce for the prison's kitchens, tended by around 40 volunteers.
A large proportion of those working the gardens are Indigenous men and women under the prison's culture and land-management program.
In his most recent report, the ACT's Inspector of Correctional Services found that the absence of commercial industries in Canberra's jail - unlike those found in prisons across NSW and Victoria - was because the centre's design focus was on education and rehabilitation programs. It adds up to a significant boredom issue for detainees.
The Symonston jail site is a small one, and the cost of growing the boundaries of the maximum security fenceline to fit more industries inside it is hugely expensive.
Detainee Tom Caton said the program offers a good incentive to get out in the fresh air.
"By getting out of the yard, it's something to look forward to; it clears your head," he said.
Visitors have been kept away from the prison for several months because of the potential COVID-19 risk, given the crowded conditions within the jail. Visits are now held online, a new concept which Mr Caton says "works pretty well".
