[NFB-Krafters-Korner] in the garden

[Tracy Carcione]

>From what I've seen, when sites talk about accessible gardening, they mean
accessible for people who use wheelchairs, or who have trouble bending or
getting up and down.
I find gardening very accessible to me, a totally blind person.  The only
thing I need to do better is labeling what I've planted, and that's not an
essential.
I also need to label my seeds in braille, but I worked out a method ages
ago.  The only tricky bit is identifying the packets to label, and I used
Be My Eyes for that last time I needed to do it.
Tracy

> In the Garden: Enabling Garden offers ideas for accessible gardening
>
> Article Link:
> http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/aug/25/in-the-garden-enabling-garden-m
> akes-offers-ideas-f/
> <https://mandrillapp.com/track/click/30489975/www.spokesman.com?p=eyJzIjoiaU
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>
> I've just returned from this year's garden writers conference that took
> place in Chicago. I was so impressed with the city's many green spaces,
> colorful container plantings and beautiful gardens.
>
> One of the most memorable stops was the Chicago Botanic Garden, and I
> heartily recommend it to all of the garden-lovers out there. While
> strolling
> through the many different regions within it, I was most inspired by the
> Buehler Enabling Garden. Billed as a "teaching garden that encourages
> gardening for people of all ages and abilities," it offers excellent
> take-home ideas for those with sensory or physical limitations so they can
> experience the many delights of a garden.
>
> In one area, the designers focused on textures, fragrances and tactile
> cues
> to assist visually impaired gardeners. For example, soft, fuzzy plants
> such
> as lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina), celosia spikes, and purple fountain
> grass
> (Pennisetum setaceum Rubra) added both interest and texture to garden
> beds.
> Aromatic herbs, scented geraniums, heliotrope and chocolate cosmos
> provided
> fragrant ways to locate specific plants while pleasing the senses. One
> ingenious idea involved placing a large-holed metal grid - such as a
> cattle
> panel - on the surface of a bed so a gardener can count the squares in
> order
> to zero in on a certain plant.
>
> Water features that included fountains, small pools and cascading
> waterfalls
> provided pleasing sights, sounds and sensations to increase one's
> enjoyment
> of the garden.
>
> There were plenty of useful ideas for gardeners who could use a bit of
> physical help in pursuing their passion for growing things.
>
> Raised beds are a perfect example of this as they make it easier to reach
> plants. They can be as tall as is needed, provided the beds are narrow
> enough for reaching across without having to step, lean or kneel on the
> soil. Many of the walls of the beds in the enabling garden offered a
> comfortable place to sit while tending plants.
>
> Tall containers filled with bright, colorful plants were another idea,
> both
> for folks who need to garden from a seated position and for those with
> limited vision. Plantings included intensely colored zinnias and Gloriosa
> daisies (Rudbeckia hirta), caladiums, the gorgeous silvery-purple Persian
> shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus), and many coleus in eye-popping colors.
>
> One creative suggestion was to install a vertical wall garden where plants
> can be tended and enjoyed while standing or sitting. Elevated "shallow
> pan"
> containers also permitted seated gardening with clearance for wheelchairs
> underneath. I enjoyed seeing the hanging baskets that were each connected
> to
> an easy-to-use pulley system. This allows one to lower the baskets for
> planting, deadheading spent blossoms or pruning foliage and then raise
> them
> up to a safe height for head clearance.
>
> The garden was paved with level, smooth bricks both to make walking safe
> and
> to provide easy access for individuals who use wheelchairs or walkers. The
> pathways were also wide enough to maneuver in.
>
> The sign at the entrance to the enabling garden reaffirmed what I've
> always
> felt:
>
> "No matter what your age or physical ability, gardening doesn't have to be
> a
> challenge. This garden shows you that in a well-planned space, anyone can
> garden."
>
> I firmly believe that all individuals should have the opportunity to grow
> a
> garden and the ideas demonstrated at the Chicago Botanic Garden are a
> great
> starting point to make that possible.
>
>
>
> Susan Mulvihill is co-author, with Pat Munts, of "Northwest Gardener's
> Handbook." Contact her at Susan at susansinthegarden.com
> <mailto:Susan at susansinthegarden.com> . For a video tour of Anne Moore
> Knapp's garden, watch this week's "Everyone Can Grow A Garden" video on
> youtube.com/c/susansinthegarden.
>
>
>
>
> <https://mandrillapp.com/track/open.php?u=30489975&id=35813856520e4bf090438a
> ffe55cb67b>
>
>
>
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