Gardening in spite of challenges? Anyone can do it!
Written by admin2 on October 30th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board
Quoting dallasnews.com:
Visiting David Gary’s garden would make a special trip to East Texas worthwhile. Beyond beautiful, the garden is a living manual for anyone longing to cultivate beauty but hesitant to begin because of age or physical disability.
“Gardening in spite of challenges? Anyone can do it,” Gary says with confidence; he lives the experience himself. “You can garden even in a wheelchair. And age isn’t a reason to quit gardening, either.”Now almost 63, Gary was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 1975 at age 28, and he was told he’d be in a wheelchair before he turned 40. He managed to go almost 20 years past that prediction.
“I’m a hammerhead,” he says with a laugh. “I wanted to prove them wrong.” Although he gets around now in a motorized scooter he calls “my Harley,” normal strength in his calves and ankles allows him to continue driving himself from Tyler to the Dallas Arboretum, where he began volunteering in 2003, two years before moving from Dallas.
In fact, it was the Arboretum that first inspired Gary to garden.
David Gary’s gardening tips…after the jump!
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Design your garden to fit your abilities.
Choose plants that are adapted to your area but use them in ways that fit your situation.
Keep all beds and pots within easy reach – at chair level or below.
Stairs and tables can help you in handling and arranging pots.
Small, lightweight garden tools are inexpensive and easy to use from a wheelchair or for anyone gardening in small spaces with limited access. Short-handled pruners are especially helpful.
Water features and bird feeders come in sizes to fit small balconies and patios, and many require no assembly, wiring or special tools. A small garden rake makes it easy to put feeders up and take them down; fiberglass fountains and hanging pots don’t crack and are easy to handle and clean.
Fill a number of pots in graduated sizes with one type of plant, such as coleus, impatiens or geraniums, and mass them to look like a single large display.
Look in antiques shops and other untraditional places for unusual items to enhance your garden.
The AgriLife Extension Program offers general gardening information and answers specific questions. Call your local office or go to http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.
Public gardens like the Dallas Arboretum help you learn what plants work well in your area and offer educational classes about gardening at any level.
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