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Gardening for the disabled
and the less agile.
Our bodies become less supple as we age
and our strength diminishes, so we need to adapt our gardens
and gardening habits to enable us to meet our changing
circumstances and special needs. For some people with
disabilities, gardening will always have been a challenge
and I hope that I can give everyone some useful hints here.
When we moved to our present house I was
very mindful of my own advancing years and the need to `wind
down` a little, and with this in mind I planned our large
garden for easy maintenance. I created and planted some raised borders
that could be worked on without too much bending, and we
have ramps instead of steps, which gives easy access for
wheelbarrows, the lawn mower and wheelchair-bound
visitors. The borders are filled with evergreen shrubs,
trees and plants, that are all chosen for their ease of
maintenance, and mulched with bark or compost to keep the
weeds down. All paths and paved areas are wide and non slip
and it's as near as I can get to an easy maintenance garden.
If my husband had his way he would
replace the lawn with concrete and paint it green, with some
artificial plants dotted about!
I could fill several pages with
information about this subject, but will highlight some
helpful hints and websites below:
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- Finally, enquire with your local authority
to see if there are any grants or help
available. Often there are groups of volunteers
willing to help out.
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http://www.westons.com for specialised
gardening tools and equipment. A whole range of
gardening tools with secure on-line ordering and
shipping worldwide.
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Volunteers are active in all parts of the National Trust,
from the new central office in Swindon to the summits of
Snowdonia and Divis Mountain near Belfast.
View their latest opportunities, or find out more about
the kind of roles and different places you can volunteer:
Still with the
National Trust, some of the most
visited National Trust properties are now holding regular farmers' and food
markets.
Click here for details
and dates.
 RHS gardens
Their four flagship gardens not only provide
year-round interest and offer a wide range of courses, talks and
demonstrations, they also demonstrate the best gardening practices, new
techniques and exciting new plants to try in your garden.
Or go to their website for a diary of all other events
at:- http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/index.asp
Tickets for RHS
members
Privilege rate tickets are available for RHS members
to all RHS shows, but tickets must be booked in advance.
Click on the individual show links below for further
information.
RHS members are not charged a booking fee for tickets
purchased except for advanced tickets to the Malvern
shows.
To
find out how to become an RHS member click here
Do you take advantage of the
DEFRA website for
information? I find it a valuable source of information, for up
to date legislation, countryside matters and useful information
such as plant pests and diseases, which saves me ploughing
through all my gardening books, with the knowledge that their
information is bang up to date...
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 Thompson & Morgan
Visit
www.thompson-morgan.com
where full information is available on their product varieties and orders
can be taken on-line. Have a look to see what is new and any special
seasonal offers
Some places to visit...
www.edenproject.com
The living theatre of plants and people
The Eden Project is a gateway into the world of plants and
people. A meeting place for all to discover how we depend on plants
and how we can help to manage and conserve them for our mutual
survival.
Kew Gardens two locations:-
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/
Tel: 020 8332 5655 (24 hr)
Fax: 020 8332 5197
Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB
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Tel: 01444 894066 (24 hr)
Fax: 01444 894069
Royal Botanic Gardens
Wakehurst Place
Ardingly
Nr Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6TN
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The National Botanic Gardens of Scotland comprise:
Royal Botanic
Garden Edinburgh
Scotland's Premier Garden
Benmore Botanic
Garden, Argyll
Argyll's Magnificent Mountainside Garden
Dawyck Botanic
Garden, Borders
Wonderful Woodland Garden
Logan Botanic
Garden, Galloway
Scotland's Most Exotic Garden
 The National Botanic Garden of Wales
www.gardenofwales.org.uk
The star attraction here is the 91 metre long domed glasshouse, that
houses landscapes normally found in the Mediterranean. This would be
a super place to visit on a chilly day...
Some websites of interest to gardeners:-
www.carryongardening.co.uk
 Gardening is an important part of many people's lives. You
don't have to give up gardening because of accident or illness, the
onset of disability or the problems associated with growing older.
The information on their website is designed to provide you with the
information to Carry on Gardening.
Carry on Gardening was initiated by the horticultural charity
Thrive and is funded by the
National Lottery Charities Board. It brings together
information on easy ways of gardening gathered over 23 years by
Thrive and research carried out since the early 1970s by Mary
Marlborough Centre, Oxford, on tools and equipment for disabled and
older people.
The founder of
www.maple-landscapes.com
is my eldest son.. give him a call if you live in the Leicester area
of the UK and have need of his services..
Useful reading:-
"The Yellow Book" contains information of all
Gardens of England and Wales open for charity, and can be bought
priced £5 from National Gardens Scheme
www.ngs.org.uk
National Trust Gardens Handbook is £6.99 and the
new edition is out in May Telephone 01394 389 950 or see
their website
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
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