WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - It is a place of peace, comfort, and relaxation but more importantly, it is a place of healing.  

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center’s Peace Garden is also more than just flowers blooming but a garden where veterans come to collect their thoughts and heal from traumatic and painful pasts.  

"I feel joy; I feel calmness; I feel happiness," said peace garden organizer Laura Nutter.  

Nutter lost her father Roland Nutter back in 2011 and wanted to find a way to honor him.  She said her father loved coming to the VA and he also loved gardening and sharing his produce. 

"He'd go to the barber shop and he'd offer them tomatoes and peppers there and then he'd go to the post office, then he'd go to the car mechanic, the bank and he had friends everywhere," said Nutter of her father.    

In 2013 the garden came to fruition.  

Growing in the garden are many beautiful flowers.  Also growing is the popularity of this place of peace for many veterans like Bill Cawood.  

Cawood, who also has a love for growing produce, has been coming to the garden for the past 11 years.  

"It's a heartwarming experience for me to know that any production from that garden back there anything that comes out of it is free to the veterans and the patients here,"  said Cawood.   

Veteran Richard Manning said when he comes to the garden, it helps him dismiss himself from past memories and flashbacks.  “It’s a good sanctuary,” said Manning.  

Nutter is proud of how the garden has developed and what it has become.  She said, "If you are injured physically, it's been proven that if you're around nature you will heal faster." 

A report from UC Davis Health supports Nutter’s statement saying how nature helps improve one’s thinking, reasoning, and other mental abilities.  

In addition to the beautiful flowers in the garden, bricks are laid in the courtyard with names of different veterans who have died or are still living.   

The garden also has gratitude boxes with snacks and a library. 

Nutter said at times you may even see ducks, bunnies, or birds taking a break from everyday life to enjoy the garden 

For more information on what the garden offers and its future plans, you can visit Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center.