Don't Let Your Age and Mobility Stop You From Gardening!

Spring is a great time to get outside and get your hands stuck into nature; the increased daylight and – hopefully – sunshine and warmth are great mood boosters, and will help you shake off winter's chill. But what if you're a gardening novice? Well, we here at CareCo have compiled a short blog on how to prepare yourself and your garden, whether you're green-fingered or otherwise.

Planning A Mobility Friendly Garden

Our first tip is planning, which can be considered essential if you're not too sure how to start out. Surveying your garden and the amount of space available will give you a better idea of what to plant; whether you've got acres or just a few window boxes, there's a suitable plant out there for everyone!

Once you've decided where you're going to start, research into the type of flora you want to grow is advised. For example, if you've got grandchildren one of the best flowers to start out with is the sunflower. Easy to plant and maintain, you just insert the seeds straight into the soil and water regularly. With the ability to grow several feet up, a bamboo support stick will help your sunflowers stay upright, guaranteed to thrill and excite your grandchildren when they visit! Or what about starting out with some simple fruit and veg? Salad leaves, spring onions, potatoes and peas are some of the easiest vegetables to grow for beginners as they require little maintenance. As for fruit, strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb are popular choices for the approaching summer season – home-grown strawberries and cream, anyone?

You may also want to consider building up raised flowerbeds. These make the process of planting much easier, reducing the need to bend and stoop, and make for lovely places to sit and admire your hard work when your plants start to grow and bloom.

Take The Backache Out of Gardening With Our Garden Aids

There are several useful tips to consider when you start the planting process. The first is concerning sun safety, which we are all reminded of every year as the sunshine approaches. It's best to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, and to wear lightweight clothing (preferably long-sleeved), a hat, and lots of sunscreen to help protect your skin.

Now to tackle the real challenge. For those who find bending and stretching painful or tiring, installing a vertical trellis can help relieve this ailment, but still encourages garden growth. Plants such as ivy are great climbers, and will quickly cover the surface area, with little intervention needed. Other easy-to-maintain shrubs include sweet peas, the Californian poppy, marigolds and pansies, all flowers which require little-to-no upkeep but will fill your garden with colour.

Also, if you struggle to use standard gardening tools, CareCo's extensive range will be a definite help. Our Ergonomic Hand Fork and Trowel, all with curved handles, provide more leverage meaning less stress put on your wrists. Lightweight but surprisingly strong, these will get you through season after season. However, if long periods of crouching or squatting are not easy for you, our selection of Long Reach aids will make the whole process easier. Choose from the Fork, Trowel, Cultivator or Hoe, and add the Interchangeable Arm Support Cuff onto the handle to give you improved balance and an even better grip, perfect for those long afternoons spent planting.

To help save both your back and knees, the Garden Pro Bench & Kneeler (pictured above) provides a safe and comfortable platform to do your gardening. You can either use it as a bench, or turn it over and use as a kneeler.

A Weaker Grip Doesn't Stop You Pruning

All plants need some sort of care, even if it's only a little trim now and then. Research into the requirements of your plants will help you maintain their growth and bloom throughout the spring and summer, giving you months of brilliant colour. To help with the trimming and pruning, the Ergonomic Bypass Style Pruner is the perfect tool, with its compound leverage system providing power through minimal effort, resulting in less tension on your hands and joints. For tidying projects, such as collecting leaves, rubbish or rubble, use a handy grabber which will help prevent straining on your back.