Adaptive Gardening: Gardening for a Lifetime

This year, I hit the big 5-0. That birthday milestone snuck up on me and made me take a step to assess how I wanted to spend my remaining years and how I could stay healthy and active enough to continue gardening over the next few decades.

I recently spoke to Toni Gattone, an “Adaptive Gardening” expert. Her book on the topic, The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age, is coming out next year from Timber Press. She also has several terrific articles and videos linked to her web site at tonigattone.com.

Q. What is Adaptive Gardening?

A. The objectives of Adaptive Gardening are three-fold: 1. To raise awareness of adaptive techniques that enable gardeners to re-think how and when they garden for greater ease. 2. To describe ways gardens can be changed or modified to ensure the safety and comfort of the gardener. 3. To modify favorite tools to increase their usability or to replace them with more ergonomic options.

Q. What other terms do people use for Adaptive Gardening?

A. Accessible Gardening, Enabling Gardening, and Therapeutic Gardens.

Q. Do you see the numbers of Adaptive Gardeners growing?

A. Since January, 2011, 78 million baby boomers, the largest, most-active generation ever born, have turned 65 every 8 seconds. That is 10,000 per day, 4 million per year.

The number of Americans over 65 will nearly triple by 2030. By 2050, all surviving Baby Boomers will be over the age of 85.

Worldwide, the number of those age 60 and over is expected to double by 2050, and triple by 2100—the older population will be increasing by 800,000 every 30 days.

Q. What inspired you to write about adaptive gardening?

A. I inherited a lot of wonderful qualities from my mom, but her bad back was not one of them. My back used to go out all the time and I would be in pain for weeks. When I became a Master Gardener, I wanted desperately to be out in my garden, but since I could barely walk, bending over to deadhead my roses was out of the question. Out of pure frustration, I decided I had to find a way to adapt so I could garden again.

Adaptive Gardening expert Toni Gattone works in a raised bed vegetable garden, while sitting on a reversible kneeler bench.

(C) ToniGattone.com

Q. When did you first learn about adaptive gardening?

A. As soon as I thought the word “adapt,” a light bulb went off in my head! On a recent trip to Oregon, I read an article on adaptive gardening in a newspaper called Boomer and Senior News. I remembered commenting to my husband, Tim, “Isn’t that redundant? I mean: ‘Boomers and Seniors’?” The article told the story of two women in Oregon who were helping seniors adapt their gardens to accommodate their changing ability levels.

One of their clients wanted to ensure she could continue with her passion despite needing a wheelchair. She described gardening as a way to nourish her soul. They expressed what a sad thing it is when people feel forced to stop gardening.

Q. What are the most common questions people have about adaptive gardening?

One line in the article stuck with me: “Garden smarter, not harder, so you can garden for life.” Bingo! I started researching the subject and the seminar I present to garden clubs, flower & garden shows, women, and senior groups is called: “You Can Garden for Life with Adaptive Gardening.”

A. I often get asked:

• How can I keep gardening with this arthritis in my hands?

• What can I do if my balance is off?

• I need to find a pruner I can open and close with one hand. Which brand should I look for?

Q. What are the challenges facing the Adaptive Gardening movement?

A. I do not think there are challenges, only more solutions as gardeners keep growing older. Our aging process does not dictate our gardening potential. Our mobility issues do not diminish our ability to produce the garden of our dreams.

Q. What are the real and potential side benefits to the average gardener of adaptive gardening?

A. Plan ahead. My approach helps gardeners think through what they may need in the future, so they can make changes now and will not have to undo the work later.

Q. What inspiring adaptive gardeners have you encountered when doing your book research?

A. I have a dear friend, Susan Bixby, in Purcellville, VA, who has learned to adapt over the years. They have 4.25 acres, which is way more space than they need, and they are finding they can’t keep up with all the work, so they are talking about downsizing.

In her gardens, Susan uses a lot of large, plastic containers and incorporates more perennials, rather than annuals that must be replaced each year. Her favorite adaptive tool is her reversible kneeler bench she received for Mother’s Day last year.

Q. When is your book coming out and how can people get it?

A. It will be out in summer 2019. There’s a listing for it already on Amazon, so your readers can pre-order it, or add it to their wish list and they will be notified when it is in stock.

Anne Hardman, 70, works with fellow members of the Silver Spring Garden Club planting a therapeutic garden at Holy Cross Hospital in Forest Glen, MD.

(c) Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine

• Determine changes you want to make in terms of their priority.

• As you begin the process of re-envisioning your garden: Assess your limitations and your needs, both physically and financially.

• Design and plan changes, including raised beds, containers, and paths. Look for vertical gardening opportunities.

• Check with your local extension office and go online to get advice.

• Decide how much help you need.

• Ask gardener friends and neighbors for recommendations for garden helpers, garden maintenance companies, or landscape designers—whatever you determine you need to get it done.

About the author:

Kathy Jentz is editor of Washington Gardener Magazine (washingtongardener.com) and is looking forward to a lifetime of growing in her own garden.