FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Gardening
Gardening as an activity can enjoyable and fun. Equipment is available to make gardening easier and available to everyone.
The Disabled Living Foundation’s online equipment assessment feature SARA can help to track down equipment that meets your requirements.
Many standard gardening tools have been adapted or designed to enable people to garden with the minimum of effort. Parklines 0121 446 6030 produce accessible green houses. PETA (UK) Ltd supply easy to grip garden implements for use by people with arthritis & reduced grip.
If you are a wheelchair user, gardening can be achieved with the use of tools that are designed for people in the sitting position. It is not necessary to have ’raised beds’ to be a gardener. It is also possible for people with back problems and paralysis on one side to enjoy gardening from a non-bending position. Long-handled shears especially for edging lawns are useful, as are firm grip weed pullers. Some of the tools produced for people working from a sitting position have an arm support, which gives the user better balance and control.
People that can get down to garden, but have difficulty in getting up again, might find a kneeler/stool with raised handles a very effective piece of equipment. These can also be used as a stool when attending to raised beds. Long handled tools like rakes, hoes and brooms can be used by people who are unable to bend down.
For gardeners using only one hand there are ’cut and hold’ tools, which are available in various sizes for such things as light pruning and dead heading which incorporate a swivel head to help with pruning and collecting cuttings. There are shears with adjustable blades that swivel through 180 degrees for working next to walls or fences and a two-wheeled wheelbarrow can be very useful for a person who can only use one hand.
Thrive has information on gardening projects around the UK and a website Carry on Gardening with information on tools & gardening techniques for disabled and older people. Fred’s Shed is a website run by a wheelchair user with useful information on tools.
Gardening for Disabled Trust gives grants to enable disabled and older people to continue gardening.
Normandy Community Therapy Garden, 01483 237004, offers horticultural training & rehabilitation for disabled people at their site near Guildford. There is also a garden of senses for visually impaired people.
The Sensory Trust exists promote an inclusive approach to the management & design of outdoor space, with a special concentration on equal access for all. It runs various projects and produces publications on making gardens accessible to disabled people.
More information on living with a disability in Surrey can be found at www.askenid.org.uk and in the leaflet Information for You available from SID (Social Information on Disability), 0800 0439395.