As you get older, trust me, it certainly becomes more difficult to get some of the tasks you did in your younger days completed! Gone are the days when I can just get down on my knees, with ease, and plant things or clear debris from the gravel beds. One’s mobility certainly slows you down and, in some cases, prevents you from doing something that once you would have completed with ease! Oh, the joys of getting older.
I’ve been gardening on a serious level, since my early retirement back in 2004, and the last 20 years have seen changes in my abilities that have, in some way, forced me to rethink the way I garden. One of the prime reasons has been a deterioration in my knees, inevitable I suppose for people of a certain age. And while I haven’t yet got to the stage of needing knee replacements, I have to consider carefully what I can and can’t do! My first task every morning is to complete a series of exercises, given to me by a physio a couple of years ago, which I’m sure helps.
In a garden that used to have many containers, I’ve scaled down a bit in the last 3 or 4 years, but a real boon has been using a trolley. There is no way that I could relocate some of the large containers at Driftwood, without the use of my sack barrow and it can still be quite challenging as there are different levels at the back that require negotiating, and three sets of small steps too.
Tips and tools to make things easier
When I first started gardening, I could bend and kneel with ease and rarely found the need to use anything to help me. These days, kneeling mats seem to follow me around the garden. Another useful addition is a kneeling aid which also doubles up as a storage place for small tools and upturned becomes a small stool to sit and complete lower-level gardening tasks.
I’ve found that it is a great help to also keep garden tools handy. Maybe stash a spare set of hand tools and garden twine in a waterproof container in the garden or in my case, in the summerhouse and greenhouse. That way, when you spot damaged plants, broken canes or a stem that needs tying up, you won’t have to run to the shed so often for supplies. I can assure you it certainly saves the knees reducing the walk up and down the garden.
Another idea might be to consider colourful garden tools. It might help locating them if, as I often do, put something down and then not being able to find it again. Buy trowels, cultivators, forks and pruners with bright red or orange handles so you can quickly spot them amid the greenery. Worth a try!
It also helps to make sure your tools are always clean and sharp, meaning they’ll last longer and work better for you in the garden. Use ergonomically designed tools, kneepads, or kneeling mats to lessen stress on your joints too, as pain-free bodies also work more efficiently in the garden.
Labour saving ideas
Another great idea is to use stands, to raise plants up to access easier, Like those used for the display of mangave, or succulents in the old dining chair. When I created the railway sleeper bounded patio, I made sure there were shelves fitted to the back wall for display and have used lots of screw on metal frames for hanging pots on too.
A short cut that I decided on very early, was to shrink the size of my lawn. When I first started gardening, I had quite a large expanse of lawn. It dominated most of the back garden. Not only did it not look that attractive, it was sloping sideways and uphill which made it extremely difficult to mow.
You’ll be amazed at how much time you’ll save on lawn chores simply by reducing the grass-covered areas in your garden. In its place you can combine trees, shrubs, boulders and decorative mulches to fashion eye-catching, maintenance-free island beds instead. I used bark chip to cover over most of my lawn for a couple of years, until I decided what I wanted to finally do with the area (see main image). Bark chip is a great mulch too and adding fresh mulch to your gardens every year keeps weeds from sprouting and helps the soil retain water, so you’ll be weeding and watering less often.
Another great tip I’ve garnered as I get older is to try and prune evergreens later in the season. If you can wait until they’ve produced most of their new growth, then you will cut down on the amount of time you have to spend doing it. I sometimes struggle with this as I like my garden to be pristine through the summer when visitors are paying to see it, but a good tip nonetheless.
Starting out
When you first set out to create a new garden, or indeed upgrade an existing one, it is always good to check out what works in your neighbour’s garden. When walking or driving, take note of interesting plants and plant combinations. Make a note of what you like and take the list with you to the garden centre, having an itemised list will speed up your shopping trips and reduce the urge to impulse-buy.
I’ve always found it useful to keep a record of what I have growing in the garden. If you maintain a list of newly-added plants and their locations, this will help you remember what you planted where, which will prevent the inadvertent weeding (and replacing) of a “good plant.” I tend to save perennial plant tags and store them so I can refer to them if needed. It can also help to buy improved varieties of plants and grasses that are native to your area. They’ll thrive with very little care and are likely to be the best-looking plants in your garden.
Finally, something I always do, well more so in the summer months, is to take a garden tour, walking around every day and checking plants for pests and diseases, based on the premise, the sooner you spot a problem, the sooner you can take curative measures, which means less work later.
Happy gardening.
