Limitless Gardening

Sooner or later, winter will be over. It has been a long one, but the weather will be better. Certainly you have already thought of getting outside and working on your garden or other parts of your yard. As the seasons change, so do your gardening practices and expectations. Your home landscape can easily be adapted to suit your budget, spare time, tastes, and trends.

There are other ways your garden can change, and it is often overlooked: accessibility. Have spent too much time bending over, only to find yourself sore and stiff? Maybe you have mobility issues which could be a hindrance from enjoying nature. The size and age of your family can have an impact on gardening. Consider making some changes to the way you garden and the type of gardening to keep pace with the changes in life.

Most often people turn to raised beds because of soil issues, like poor quality, bad drainage, or even space problems. Raised beds can be a way of opening the hobby of gardening to anyone with physical limitations. Kneeling, bending, and hoeing can be a barrier for some people. However, if designed with your needs in mind, raised beds can become an enabling garden.

There are all different kinds of raised beds, so if this interests you, think outside the box. You can use landscape blocks in a circular shape. Try using top blocks wide enough to serve as a seat, to make working in the area much more comfortable. Choosing securely-stacked fieldstone can tie the raised bed into the rest of your landscape. Utilizing a slope for a garden can help with accessibility too.  A wide collection of pots spread around the yard integrate a raised bed into the landscape. Once your raised bed is complete, make sure you fill it with good quality soil and compost.

Raised beds offer a different way of gardening, and there is different kind of gardening you can pursuit, a sensory garden. Maybe you are at a point in your life where you don’t have the time to devote to a full-fledged vegetable garden. Or it could be age is a factor, the youngest ones in your life do not possess the dexterity to gently plant a garden. Do you think poor eyesight or joint pain will limit your gardening enjoyment? Adding plants and features that not only offer a crop to feed your body but also feed you mind can give new life to your yard.

Instead of just thinking a plant will offer a harvest, many choices can give you an experience. Think of using plants with texture, like lambs ear and moss and cockscomb. Children especially will like a fun-to-feel garden. Hearing a garden can enrich the experience nature offers you. You can add plants that rustle in the wind, like Chinese lantern and many ornamental grasses. Adding a water feature can give you a relaxing time as you are working around the yard. It’s been a long time since anyone in our area has cut their grass, but we all know how nice fresh-cut grass smells, and the memories it triggers. A big part of a garden can use the sense of smell, and this can be a very rewarding experience, regardless of your limitations. Chamomile or creeping thyme can be planted around walkways, and when crushed give off a wonderful scent. Scented geraniums are a carefree addition to any garden. Culinary herbs are low maintenance but useful plants making a good choice for a sensory garden. Wind chimes and birdfeeders will make your garden even better for all your senses.

As we wait for the nicer weather, think about a different way of gardening and a different way the garden can enhance your life. Raised beds and sensory gardens are ways the home landscape can be a limitless experience. For more information on this topic, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension
Lackawanna County