You don\u2019t have to be a certain age to begin adapting. If you are in your 40s and 50s and planning garden renovations, you might incorporate adaptations for the future in your plans. I\u2019m sure you know that construction costs aren\u2019t going down. As long as you are making changes to your landscape now, you can save money by making a few tweaks that will take you well into the future.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Duane-Pancoast-3.750.jpg\")
Adapt your garden and gardening techniques to your changing physical abilities. Photo: Duane Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n
If you never heard the term \u201cAdaptive Gardening,\u201d you\u2019re not alone. I had written my blog on the subject for several months before a fellow garden writer told me what I was doing had a name. Adaptive Gardening is simply adapting your garden and gardening techniques to your changing physical abilities. It\u2019s part of the Aging-in-Place movement.<\/p>\n
Conditions that create a need to adapt include mobility limitations; arthritis; cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions; and sensory problems, such as fading vision and memory loss. Limited mobility caused by arthritic joints seems to be what leads to most adaptive gardening.<\/p>\n
Knees lead the way, and some adaptive techniques include commercially available kneelers and seats. I tried them and didn\u2019t care for them. Instead, I bought a pair of strap-on knee pads like carpet installers and other tradespeople use. I also had a 5-gallon bucket that I carried my tools in. I preferred to kneel in the garden but turned the bucket over and used it as a seat when my knees hurt. When finished, I stuffed the tools, weeds, and other debris into the bucket and took it back to the garage.<\/p>\n
Backs also trigger the need to adapt. To reduce the impact on your back, always lift with your legs, not your back. Don\u2019t carry heavy objects; put them in a wheelbarrow, garden cart, or other conveyance. And don\u2019t lift heavy objects over your head in one motion. If you must lift them at all, lift from the ground to a workbench or other platform, preferably no more than waist-high. Then lift it the rest of the way.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Duane-Pancoast-4.750.jpg\")
Install raised beds with wide tops. Photo: Duane Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n
Some of the hardscape adaptations you can make the next time you renovate include smoothing the paths and widening them to accommodate a walker or wheelchair. Replace stairs with gentle slopes. Install raised beds with wide tops so you can sit on them and garden. Or give vertical gardens a try so you can work standing up.<\/p>\n
Arthritic fingers may make gripping tools difficult. If so, trade your heavy, wood-handled tools in for lightweight tools with fiberglass handles. Some are available with foam sleeves for a better grip, or you could make your own sleeves with the foam insulation air conditioning contractors place around tubing. Different styles of ergonomic hand tools like trowels are also available.<\/p>\n
Frequent rest breaks are important for all senior gardeners, but it\u2019s imperative for those with cardiopulmonary or respiratory challenges. The recommended strategy is to plan several tasks for the day. Begin the first task and work for the amount of time that is comfortable (Usually no more than an hour.). Then go to your shady area, have some water and rest until you\u2019re ready to resume work. After your rest, go to the second project on your list. Follow this routine until your body, not your mind, says it\u2019s time to call it a day. Any tasks not completed can wait for another day.<\/p>\n
People with breathing problems often have low heat or cold tolerance. Adapting simply involves modifying your schedule. If you can\u2019t tolerate the heat, work in your garden in the early morning or when it cools off in the evening. If you get cold easily, garden in the afternoon when the temperature is at its highest. Take precautions, however. Use sunscreen and sunglasses. Wear a wide-brimmed hat that shades your neck and ears, as well as your face, and stay hydrated. This applies to gardeners of all ages. You can reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, macular degeneration, and balance problems.<\/p>\n
For fading vision and memory, provide appropriate stimuli to guide you in the garden. It may be something that emits a sound on the path that will guide you back to your house. It may be a wind chime or a wind bell. A plant that emits a fragrance that you are particularly fond of can also be your guide. If you forget and leave tools where you were working or have trouble seeing where you left them, paint the handles a bright color like fluorescent orange. Fiberglass handles on many lightweight tools are bright yellow.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Duane-Pancoast-1.750.jpg\")
Reduce the size of your lawn by adding a garden. Photo: Duane Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n
The whole idea of adaptive gardening is to enjoy your garden more than you enjoy gardening. That means reducing the amount of work needed to maintain it. That may be done by shrinking the size of your lawn. Lawns require constant maintenance. Remove perennials and replace them with shrubs. Some perennials need to be cut back every year, and others spread so fast that they have to be dug up and divided periodically. Shrubs only have to be pruned every few years. You can further reduce your workload by using more containers. And asking family and friends for help doesn\u2019t show weakness. It builds bonds.<\/p>\n
Embrace imperfection should become your mantra. Let your garden look natural rather than perfectly formal. A forest where all the trees are in straight rows were planted by humans. Nature plants trees where the seeds drop.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Duane-Pancoast-600H.jpg\")
Keep your green thumb alive by tending house plants. Photo: Duane Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n
There may come a day when working outside in the garden becomes too difficult. Then you can keep your green thumb active by tending houseplants. The gardeners\u2019 age doesn\u2019t define indoor gardens. Today, houseplants represent the fastest-growing segment of the nursery industry. This growth is driven by young people who choose to live in urban apartments and lofts. They even call themselves \u201cPlant Parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
When shopping for houseplants, consider Tilladsia (air plants). They need very little maintenance and can be displayed in limitless ways. That\u2019s where I am today.<\/p>\n
I hire out care for my outdoor garden but shower (figuratively) my attention on my 25+ Tilladsia. They do have to be watered because that\u2019s how they get the moisture and nutrients they need to live. Although some people spritz their plants daily, I choose to soak them.<\/p>\n
Every other weekend, I take a plastic container around the house collecting the plants. The container is then filled with water and the plants soak for a couple of hours. I then put them back in their display and enjoy them.<\/p>\n
Where there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way to garden for a lifetime by adapting to your changing capabilities \u2013 in gardening and life. That\u2019s what prompted me to buy a tee-shirt that reads: Don\u2019t underestimate an old man who loves to garden and was born in November.<\/em><\/p>\n An introduction to adaptive gardening <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[134,135],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2021","category-winter-2021-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10773"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11159,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10773\/revisions\/11159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Duane Pancoast<\/a> is a garden blogger and speaker who has just written a book entitled: The Geriatric Gardener, Adaptive Gardening Advice For The Senior Gardener<\/a>.<\/em> He is a longtime member of Garden Communicators International<\/a>.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"