Handicapped Gardening

posted on Sep 09 by Linda Beck in the Guest Authors, Linda Beck category

I was so proud of myself.  Raking pine needles from my power wheelchair presented a new challenge in 2004.  I was only trying to reach as far as I could from my concrete driveway and that removed only about half the width that was covered with pine needles. (I would have to wait for my grandsons to rake the part that was out of my reach.  Their baby sister has arrived with the warmer weather and my odd jobs and I got pre-empted.  (But that’s okay; if I were able, I would rather be with the baby 24/7 too.)

But I had recently decided after two years of pine needles that it was time to redo my foundational landscaping.  Though this is more expensive originally, the chipped brick will be more long lasting and more attractive once it is in place.  I had already had the brick delivered before Hallie Renee was born, so now I had gorgeous weather, a beautiful granddaughter, and a job waiting to be finished.

Once I read an article about landscaping for the handicapped.  It referred to working only within one’s reach, so I had decided that’s all I would attempt to do.  That article showed flowers planted in raised beds like my husband and I once had in our yard.  Since I don’t have the needed wood or the expensive soil for that, I have discovered an easier way to have a few flowers.

The miniature shepherd’s crooks are perfect for hanging baskets.  Even though these might be prettier spaced around throughout the area, I can water and care for them easier if I keep them within reach of the concrete driveway.  I can ride my scooter along watering, fertilizing, or deadheading the flowers.

I know many readers remember the stories about my house.  The landscaping was very attractive then, but some of the shrubs have not survived well during the ice storms or the dry summers.  I’m not really sure what to replace those shrubs with, but I can’t afford to do it all at one time anyway.  When I moved back to the country, I knew I would not be able to have the kind of yard I once had.  This house and yard are so much smaller than we had but without my husband, I have to ask for so much help from too many people.

Recently, however, my son-in-law voluntarily planted two cherry trees that were rooted from trees my husband had transferred from his uncle’s yard many years ago.  My sister gave me cuttings that were rooted from a forsythia bush that once belonged to our mother.  Last year, I purchased three crepe myrtles from the 4-H Club’s fund raising project.  Bonding with these plants has given me more interest in my yard.

I do not have the manpower or money to reseed, fertilize, etc.  I have been very blessed that I’ve had volunteers to mow the grass.  There is still work to be done, but it will have to wait for another time.

I look forward to taking care of hanging baskets of geraniums, petunias, and who knows what else.