Home Care in Chapel Hill NC

If your loved one enjoys gardening, you might have wondered if you can do anything to make it safer for her overall. Try some of these ideas.

Reduce Maintenance Overall

Do what you can to reduce garden maintenance for your loved one. Some of those activities, like watering, may be things that she enjoys, but those can also take a lot of effort that she could spend enjoying her garden instead. Try installing an irrigation system or paving over areas of the garden that are too much work. Keep a smaller patch of garden that your loved one can tend easily.

Make Vertical Gardens

Another option, particularly if your loved one has a difficult time with bending, is to convert horizontal gardens to vertical ones. Trellises and other tools can help you to bring the plants up to waist-height. Your loved one can still tend to her plants and harvest vegetables, but it will be easier on her back and hips.

Plant in Containers

Another way that you can make gardening easier on your elderly loved one is to use containers to hold the plants in the garden. This not only elevates the plants so that they’re easier to access, but you can also use lightweight planting material and lightweight pots to make them much easier to move. Another tip you can use is to either add casters directly to the pots or to place the pots on a base that rolls. Then when you or your loved one need to move the pots, it’s even easier.

Take Plants Out of Hanging Containers

Hanging containers can be lovely, but they can also be difficult to manage. Your loved one might have to stretch up to reach them or, even worse, stand on something to get to them. Hanging planters need a lot of extra attention because they tend to dry out faster and watering can be a pain. Try taking the plants out of hanging containers or simply finding a lower spot for plants in hanging containers.

Garden at Cooler Hours of the Day

Gardeners during the milder months can wander outside whenever the whim takes them, but the warmer months mean better planning is in order. Try to help your loved one remember to garden in the morning or in the late afternoon, when it’s cooler. Then she can avoid the hottest parts of the day. If you’re working out a schedule with her home care providers, you can block out time that would be best for outside activities.

Gardening is a great way for your loved one to get some extra exercise and it’s a way to bond with old friends and new ones, too.