A new leaflet offering advice on easier gardening is now available from Thrive.
The leaflet, Tips for Easier Gardening, provides practical instructions, hints and tips on improving access to the garden and is aimed at helping disabled or older people enjoy gardening. It also gives advice on tools and techniques and offers a list of suggested easy-care plants. Here are some examples from the leaflet:
1. Raise the soil level or use raised beds to improve access
2. Use old carpet (face down) to create level routes across a vegetable garden
3. Avoid fast-growing plants which will require frequent pruning
4. Use ground cover plants to cut down on weeding
5. Remove or reduce areas of the garden which require frequent maintenance, such as lawns
6. Use mulches of bark, plastic or gravel to help suppress weed growth and conserve moisture in the soil
7. Grow vegetables on a small scale for less effort – for example in containers
8. Replace hedges with fences for easier maintenance
9. Find the lightest tools with the widest handles as they are easiest to grip
10. Vary your gardening tasks to vary body movements.
To obtain a free copy of the leaflet please contact Thrive on 0118 988 5888, email info@thrive.org.uk or write to Thrive, The Geoffrey Udall Centre, Beech Hill, Reading, RG7 2AT.
Tips for Easier Gardening is produced with support from the Linbury Trust.