7 Ways To Make Gardening Easier

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Having a beautiful garden or yard can drastically improve the enjoyment you get from your outdoor space at home. Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated the benefits nature has on mental health and well-being, and having this literally on your doorstep can be massively beneficial.

However, cultivating a beautiful garden isn't easy. Depending on the size of your garden and the type of flowers or plants you grow, gardening can be a full-time job. For this reason alone, the time and effort required put gardening out of reach for some people. For those who aren't physically able to do the work, have time constraints, or simply aren't green-fingered, a beautiful landscape at home might seem out of reach.

However, there are ways to make gardening more manageable and enjoyable. While these strategies won't eliminate all the hard work, they can certainly ease some of the more challenging aspects of gardening. This article aims to guide you through these adaptations, making the beauty of a home garden more accessible to everyone.

Cordless or Robot Tools

If the hassle of power cords is a constant source of stress for you, and you're tired of navigating your lawn or flower beds while juggling a cord, then the relief and ease of using cordless or robot models can be a game-changer. These tools can significantly lighten your load and make gardening a more enjoyable, stress-free experience.

Imagine having a robot lawnmower, a cordless leaf blower, or a strimmer take care of the mowing for you, making yard work a breeze. These tools not only save you time and effort but also reduce the stress of maintaining your garden. You can also invest in cordless hedge trimmers, shrub cutters, and more to make life easier.

Ergonomic Tools

Ergonomics is the discipline of making things easier. Tools and equipment designed with ergonomics in mind will automatically be better to use and created with ease in mind.

If you're struggling to hold tools for long periods or need lightweight options, investing in ergonomic gardening tools is a good idea. You can pretty much buy most standard gardening tools in an ergonomic design that facilitates easier tasks and makes light work of hard jobs. For instance, ergonomic trowels, pruners, and weeding tools are designed to reduce strain on your hands and wrists. Typically, these tools will be angled differently or have added features for ease of use, such as built-in straps on tools, longer handles to reduce bending and lifting, and added grips for poor dexterity. The idea is that you need to put less effort into getting the same result, opening up gardening to anyone who didn't think they could do it due to mobility reasons.

Raised Beds

Raised flower beds can help you reduce the need to bend down to plant flowers. It's not those smaller ankle-height beds either that don’t really do a lot; you need to consider knee or waist-height beds that you can access easily. Maybe you want to sit down on a chair while planting your new flowers; in that case, you need a bed that is level with you when it can be a good height to aim for. But thinking higher for your beds can allow you to still benefit from the beauty of nature in your garden without causing undue stress and strain on your body, making gardening a more comfortable and less strenuous activity.

Tool Belts or Trolleys

Moving around the garden and carrying your tools can be a chore if you're not physically capable, or even if you are, it can be a lot to keep on top of.

Using tool belts to keep your tools on you to swap between can be a great way to eliminate excess moving and find what you need without having to bend and lift or traipse around the garden. A trolley that comes to waist height and is on wheels or easy to move around can also be a good idea when thinking about accessibility. You can load this with what you need and then take it with you so you cut down on carrying around tools or equipment or having to keep moving around to collect what you need.

Drought Tolerant Plants

If watering plants is an issue for you and you prefer to have real plants over artificial ones, looking for drought-tolerant varieties that don't need frequent watering and can sustain long periods without being watered is an excellent idea. Drought-tolerant plants are species that have evolved to survive in arid conditions, meaning they can thrive with minimal water. This can save you time and effort, as you won't need to water them as frequently as other plants.

While a drip irrigation system can also be a good idea, it can be expensive to install, so it's worth exploring drought-tolerant plants. These can be plants like lavender, coneflower, Russian sage, yucca, verbena, or blanket flowers, to name a few. All of these can withstand minimal watering and thrive in many regions.

Long Flowering Blooms

Long-flowering blooms are exactly that. They flower for longer periods, meaning you're not constantly swapping them out for different varieties as the season ends because they last longer than others. The varieties mentioned in the above paragraph have long-lasting seasons and bloom for longer than other plants, as do the hydrangea, daylily, and bee balms. All will add color and vibrancy to your garden for extended periods, saving you time and giving you less work to do overall.

All will add colour and vibrancy to your garden for extended periods, giving you less work to do overall.

Hire A Gardener

Lastly, a great option to consider is hiring someone to take over the more labor-intensive aspects of gardening or all of it if you wish. This way, you still get the benefit of a stunning outdoor space that is full of life and character but without any of the upkeep involved. Of course, this isn't a cheap alternative, but if you want to get someone in to help you from time to time or on a regular basis, it's worth considering the services of a residential gardener who can keep your outdoor space in good condition all year round.