Previously we’ve only talked about accessible beer gardens but what about your own outdoor space. How do you carry on gardening or enjoying the outdoors when you’re suddenly disabled?? Here are a few tips:
Raise Them Up!?
Use raised flower beds or containers so you can easily reach the plants. I had metal boxes made to house all my pots at a reachable height – trendy & useful. The balcony decking was also raised so I can now enjoy the sun and tend to my plants more easily. In the past there was a steep ramp onto said balcony, due to lack of space and a backflip in the wheelchair occurred more than once. My crazy Romanian builders just covered the existing decking with another layer of raised decking – simple!
Lift Them Up……
You can also install a stairlift that can be used outside. They can be short or long and winding but not sure how long it would take to go up the one on the right depicted below……
Tool Them Up…..
There are various gardening tools that make gardening easier like reachers, curved handled tools and even a stool, ‘OneLeg’, that rocks and turns with your movement as you garden. These and more can be found at designed2enable web shop. Another useful resource is Thrive a charity that helps you to ‘carry on gardening’ whatever the disability. Amongst other things they give great advice for the partially sighted gardener such as label plants with bright felt tip so you don’t mistake them for weeds and include scented plants for greater gardening pleasure – not just for the partially sighted!
For the more energetic there’s also the Kikka Digga a fork that takes the backache out of digging. They’re also friends from The Design Council Spark program. See it here it’s ingenious and buy from Amazon, Etsy or Ebay.
Finally you can’t go anywhere outdoors without our own hands free tool – DRINK – the universal glass holder for your garden chair, wheelchair or buggy.
Hope these tips will help you enjoy the outdoors whatever the disability and whatever the weather. It’s therapeutic and a great source of Vitamin D! Any other great ideas? Let us know by making contact.