| If you are one of the more than 27 million people | | | | containers that are tall enough or place your |
| afflicted with the pain from arthritis, you know first | | | | container gardens on a surface that is roughly waist |
| hand how debilitating it is. Kneeling to plant impatiens | | | | high. If you're used to planting in large containers, ask |
| has become torture and the simple act of bending | | | | a member of your family to either place the planter |
| over to deadhead a marigold is often times | | | | on a platform or, better yet, on wheels so you can |
| impossible. | | | | easily move the planting around. |
| So what do you do when you love gardening but | | | | Find a place to put your containers so that you can |
| arthritis has put you on the sidelines? | | | | start working on your new waist high garden. Do you |
| Stop bending or kneeling to garden. And container | | | | have a wall or a table that's near by? Use those |
| gardening in raised beds or planters is one way to | | | | surfaces to help get your plants up to a level that's |
| achieve a no bend garden. | | | | comfortable for you. |
| Back in 2000 I was in a roll over accident that injured | | | | An alternative to waist high raised bed gardening is to |
| my back and neck. Bending and kneeling to plant, | | | | get a stool or chair you can use for planting. It's |
| weed or water became excruciating. I started | | | | never going to be the same as when you could bend |
| thinking about what I could do to keep gardening but | | | | and kneel with ease, but some gardening has always |
| maintain a more pain free existence. | | | | been better than none for me. |
| Waist high raised bed gardening was my answer. | | | | Using hanging plants is also another possibility. Potting |
| Simply eliminating the bending and kneeling movement | | | | them in a hanging planter and using a hose to water |
| from my garden routine made the act of being in my | | | | should keep you from bending and kneeling. |
| garden a joy again. | | | | You can garden even with arthritis if you take a |
| The way to do this is to make sure that you plant in | | | | moment to think about the possibilities. |