Are you looking for a hobby that is fun, productive, and healthy? Gardening may be your best option. Studies suggest that gardening may be good for your mental health. It lowers stress levels and improves your mood. It gives you the chance to enjoy vitamin D and may be a form of exercise. Adaptive gardening is the technique of adapting garden activities to ensure that anyone can perform them. Adaptive gardens are friendly to people with limited mobility. Here are a few tips to create an accessible garden.
Raised Beds
Raised beds can help wheelchair bound individuals and others with limited ability to kneel. They are placed in accessible positions and the height is customized to meet specific needs.
When creating raised beds, pay attention to the specific physical limitations of the gardener. They should be able to reach it without having to stand up. If the gardener is mobile but has trouble leaning over or kneeling, you may need to construct bench seating around their planting bed.
Irrigation Systems
Watering a whole garden manually is a lot of work and it can be frustrating. Even when you have a small garden, people with physical limitations may be unable to do it. In traditional gardens, the primary source of water is at the end of the garden. Therefore, gardeners must drag a hose along to water the entire garden.
Irrigation systems are perfect for people on wheelchairs. You do not need a complex system. According to the team at NDIS housing, something as simple as a soaker hose running to the garden bed may be enough. Since irrigation systems may not water all the plants in the garden, you may need a manual watering system as well.
Accessible Planters
A good garden has a wide selection of planters. They are just as important as ground cover. Get planters that are accessible from a wheelchair. Raised garden beds are the simplest ways to bring plants within reach. The beds may be made from brick, stone, metal, or dimensional lumber. However, planters are great as well. Accessible planters make it easy to access your plants and they improve the appeal of your garden.
Clear Pathways
The pathway to and from your garden should be clear and free of obstructions. It should be firm, strong, and wheelchair-friendly. The best surfaces include finely crushed stone and poured concrete. The path should be wide enough for wheelchairs with lots of features to fit. If you have border plants or bushes nearby, ensure that they do not spill over.
Low Maintenance Plants
It may be shocking, but plants have a major role to play in making gardens more accessible. If they require a lot of attention, people with physical disabilities may have a hard time keeping up with them. Low maintenance plants will make your garden more adaptive. It helps you reduce the amount of time spent trimming or pruning. Drought-tolerant plants and those that naturally repel pests may be a good addition to your garden.
In conclusion, there are lots of ways to make your garden accessible without affecting its appearance. Simple tips include using accessible planters, low maintenance crops, clearing the pathway, using irrigation systems, and raised beds.