| Are you in a wheelchair, and long to dig in | | | | ring your doorbell. Put a waist high herb |
| the dirt and create flowering beauty and grow | | | | garden right outside your kitchen door and |
| far more zucchini than you can give away? Or | | | | add an area in it for your favorite cut |
| are your knees just starting to age and even | | | | flowers.When you're deciding where to locate |
| though you've loved gardening all your life, | | | | the raised bed or container, be sure to |
| you're having more trouble getting up and | | | | remember physically demanding practicalities |
| down and are afraid you'll have to give up | | | | like dragging a heavy hose to water it. Think |
| gardening altogether? Did you botch the last | | | | and plan a low energy solution for what |
| pruning of your roses because of the | | | | you'll do with the compost material.Problem: |
| worsening arthritis in your hands?Welcome to | | | | "My painful hands don't have the strength for |
| the world of the physically challenged | | | | ..."You can get tools which extend your arms |
| gardener.Don't despair. Adapt!There's plenty | | | | to reach the ground level flower bed from a |
| of help out there in the form of advice, | | | | sitting position. Several manufacturers make |
| tools, raised flower beds and other | | | | specially tools with light weight handles |
| specialized equipment. | | | | designed to keep the wrist and hand in a |
| | | | stress-free position and to provide a firmer |
| A Google search of "Disabled gardening | | | | grip. Small, light rakes, hoes, etc. like |
| tools" leads to 125 websites with specific | | | | this can work wonders.Think ratchet pruner, |
| helpful adaptive equipment. "Disabled | | | | ratchet lopping shears ... let the laws of |
| gardening" gives a whopping 873,000 results | | | | physics give your hands a hand. You'll be |
| where you can find advice and "handicapped | | | | amazed when you look at the tools available. |
| gardening" yields 111,000. Let those | | | | Pull difficult weeds by stepping on a |
| arthritic fingers do your walking!Problem: | | | | lever.Problem: "I get so tired so |
| "The ground is just too far down there!"Think | | | | quickly."Hey, the weeds didn't grow all at |
| about doing your gardening while sitting on a | | | | once; you don't have to pull them all at |
| chair, instead of on the ground, squatting or | | | | once. Pace yourself. Find ways to make |
| bending over. The most obvious solution is to | | | | gardening something you do while you sit and |
| build raised flower beds and scatter | | | | drink a cup of tea and listen to the birds, |
| containers throughout your garden area. Buy | | | | rather than a work chore you slave away at |
| cheap plastic outdoor chairs and place one | | | | for a full afternoon. Pull one weed from the |
| beside each mini-garden so you don't have to | | | | scented garden near your front door on your |
| drag or carry when it's time to weed. You can | | | | way out and another weed on the way in. Plant |
| just sit down and enjoy the feel of moist | | | | parsley in your kitchen door herb garden |
| earth beneath your fingers and breathe in the | | | | while your toast is toasting and the coffee |
| heavenly smell of freshly applied fish | | | | is dripping.Buy and plant 3 packs of flowers |
| emulsion.If you hang a cup holder on the edge | | | | instead of a whole flat. Take a nice aerobic |
| of your container, you can even have the | | | | walk around your yard, stopping at a |
| luxury of tea or coffee with your weeds. | | | | different container for 5 minutes |
| Maybe the fish emulsion should wait.Don't | | | | "conversation" with your plants on each |
| think about what you've lost now that you | | | | cycle, then go back inside and plop on the |
| can't crawl around weeding the perennial | | | | recliner. You'll be amazed at how much gets |
| border; teach your grandchild or a | | | | done in these mini-work sessions. Your heart |
| neighborhood kid the joy to be found doing | | | | will love you, too.Remember, one of the nice |
| that task ... you've just discovered a new | | | | things about flowers is they don't have |
| adventure in gardening. The good news is that | | | | anything to prove. We can all learn a lesson |
| you may find whole different special areas of | | | | from them.This article courtesy of |
| your yard where you can stick a | | | | |
| mini-garden.Get creative. Put a beautiful | | | | You may freely reprint this article on your |
| container near your front door and plant | | | | website or in your newsletter provided this |
| wonderfully scented flowers to greet your | | | | courtesy notice and the author name and URL |
| guests ... or perhaps a nice cherry tomato | | | | remain intact. |
| plant they can steal from on their way to | | | | |