Gardening in wheelchair

Mark Lane, one of the Gardeners World presenters, gardens from a wheelchair, Annie. I don’t think he’s written any books but there’s plenty of stuff about him online.

Raised beds and tall pots are the answer and there are plenty of tools available these days to make life easier.

Gardening is so good for physical and mental health. Now all we need is some warm weather.

Hope you enjoy it.

Oh Anniebach, have just seen your post. Great news about your wheelchair, and I hope you can make good use of it.
Sorry, no hints or tips for you about wheelchair gardening, no doubt someone will be along soon with some.
Happy times ahead for you. ?

Do you know of Mark Lane Anniebach? He's a great presenter on Gardeners' World who gardens from a wheelchair. He's always full of good ideas and did a brilliant article last season about getting the right tools, pots and stuff. I have tried to find it without success but you might have more luck.

Also, I have a friend who works for this amazing charity www.thrive.org.uk/. They run courses, provide help and tools and I think they help people apply for grants to adapt their gardens and get the right kit.

I'm so looking forward to some warmer weather and drier soil so I can get out on my garden. Hope you enjoy yours this coming season.

How wonderful for you Annie if you can could you ask a neighbour or friend to bring you a couple (or more) the tall planters you can buy at B&M they are only about £3 each if that they would enable you to pour the compost from your wheel chair and plant your seedling they also let you water the plants easily,I have 4 outside my bungalow window which are ready for replanting soon.

Someone I know is in a wheelchair and had their garden redesigned with walkways and raised beds. It wasn't cheap though.

Tall pots or boxes would be a good idea. Do you have an outside tap so you could water with a hosepipe?

????

Ooops sorry Merlotgran two minds with one thought.

Mark is great isn't he.

walkways sorry, that sounds insensitive!

I mean wide paths so that she can negotiate her wheelchair around the raised beds.

Some good tips here. How exciting for you!

www.carryongardening.org.uk/

And here

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEtaomyNQLw

Raised beds are the way forwards, and of course access with wheel-chair friendly surfaces.

No gardening for me for a while yet, still all covered with thick snow.

Didn’t expect such response thank you

Auntyflo yes after four years i can go outdoors x

merlotgran Coastpath I stopped watching Gardeners World when I had to stop going outside, I will look up Mark Lane, and the charity.

glammanana we have a B & M here, i will look on their website, I looked on Amazon, the prices !

Callistemon i am having a hose pipe sorted , not sure how! but I will. Loved ‘walkways’ .

I am so like a child at Christmas, to get outdoors again and to
plant and prune etc . Getting so carried away have even planned to enter the councils ‘best front garden competition’
it’s for the disabled and elderly.

There are many forms of trug planter for sale theses days, under which your knees in a wheelchair will fit. Enjoy! Hope for a fine summer.

That looks good, shysal

Make sure pots, planters etc are tall enough Anniebach - we do have a part terraced garden but I still have to bend and it's not good for my back!

Thank you shysal. Yes hope for a fine summer

Awwww FANTASTIC Annie absolutely well well done.

I have nothing to offer in the way of positive advice on gardening because i loathe it ( sorry ) but i wanted to say WELL DONE TO YOU

Thank you Serendipity x

Although I can walk, I need to sit down frequently so perch on a garden stool which weeding my slightly raised beds. I recently bought a long handled trowel and rake, hand tools with a longer handle, which are brilliant for reaching to the back of the beds.

My problem is I get carried away, moving the stool around, pulling out weeds and pruning in my jungle, then run out of energy to move the rubbish to the bins! That final job can be very painful on my poor knees.

I really like my hoe, it's very light and I have had it for years but DH used it to scrape weeds out from between paving slabs and it's just not the same any more.

There is a wonderful organisation called Thrive which has all sorts of advice on gardening for the disabled, special tools and how to do things etc. Go to carryongardening.org.uk. Or just google Thrive.

Good luck with it all.

I'm so pleased to here you can finally get out Annie. If you are on facebook, there are bound to be people on your local selling pages who make made to measure pallet containers at the right height. They seem to be remarkably good value

I worked in a care home for the disabled where all our residents are in wheelchairs. They all love the spring and summer where we take them outside and do gardening with them. We do lots of bulb planting and we have raised flowers beds at a height were they can easily sit and work at. They love it.

Callistemon21

walkways sorry, that sounds insensitive!

I mean wide paths so that she can negotiate her wheelchair around the raised beds.

I didnt think this was insensitive. After all, Americans call the placements "sidewalks"!! I thought your post was helpful.

Pavements* even!!

Annie,have a wonderful gardening year ahead of you.
Sending virtual flowers and hugs.