Green Thumb Seniors: Gardening Tips for the Elderly

Gardening is a wonderful pastime enjoyed by people of all ages, including seniors. As we age, tending to your garden is a great way to keep active and enjoy the great outdoors. However, we also appreciate that the physical exertion of this hobby can make it difficult for those with limited mobility to enjoy.  

Whatever type of garden you have, or however much help you or your elderly relatives might need, we’ve put together this list of tips on how to continue enjoying gardening into the golden years.  

Build Raised Garden Beds 

There are many pros to building raised garden beds for elderly gardeners. Not only are raised beds much easier to weed and maintain as they require less bending down, but they also allow you to control the soil type your plants are in and keep pests at bay.  

Buy Accessible Tools 

Any avid gardener knows that it’s always important to have the right equipment to hand, so as we get older, it’s worth considering an investment in lightweight tools and long-handled forks, spades and secateurs. For those with dodgy knees, a kneeler is also a must! 

Choose Your Plants Wisely 

Another way to make your gardening jobs more suited to your needs is to plant low maintenance crops. Fill your vegetable patch with easy picks like onions, shallots, broad beans, carrots, spinach and chard. Perennials such as rhubarb, globe artichoke, camomile and gooseberry are equally as handy for senior growers as they only require one planting and keep coming back year on year. You could even purchase plug plants if you want to skip the seed sowing stage.  

Growing herbs is also a great choice because they keep going all year round and require very little upkeep. Popular choices include rosemary, chives, sage and thyme.  

Rethink Your Lawn  

Lawns don’t have to be mown every week, and as you get older it can become an increasingly tough task. You might want to think about reducing the amount of lawn you have, and consider edging with wood or metal to cut down on hand trimming.  

Having some more hard landscaping and pathways put in will also help to reduce the amount of lawn maintenance you’ll have to do. However, make sure that paths are level and safe, with turning spaces and handrails if necessary.  

Looking for Stairlift Services in Lichfield?  

If you or an ageing relative requires more help around the home, consider a stairlift rental or purchase option from Alfix. As one of the leading stairlift companies in Cheltenham, we supply a wide range of new and second-hand stairlift models to meet the requirements of your home. Count on us for local stairlifts in Evesham and give us a call on 01926 334848 today.