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Updated March 18 - 2002

I have been gardening for the last 16 years. But am finding it increasingly difficult due to Kugelberg-Welander's Disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis. I have been using a manual wheelchair for several years. Though I have been losing my strength and mobility for many years, my love for gardening continues to grow.

Scroll down to view list of easy care annuals and perennials.Flower photos and photos of a special wheelchair accessible planter table.Links to beautiful public gardens of BC, Canada


CLICK IF YOU WISH TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE GARDEN LINKS PAGE.

Over the years as my strength declined, I had to find new ways to make it easier to garden. For example as bending and straightening became difficult, raised beds became a necessity. We (my mother and I) used half barrels. We had a very small garden at the back of the house (20' x 20'). When I could still walk, I used an old kitchen chair to sit on while gardening. I used Children's sized or planter sized hoe and rake (check your local garden centers or gardening catalogues) for weeding and digging small holes. These tools are lighter and the length was good (when sitting). A "reacher stick" (try your local medical supply or arthritic supply store) was handy to pick up light items off the ground.When planting small plants in the ground or in a spot that was difficult to reach I would use the reacher stick to grasp the plant and place it into the hole I had dug with the hoe.

Our patio garden



We moved into an apartment with a large deck several years ago, when I began to find climbing stairs difficult. Our apartment building also had several huge raised sunny garden beds (see photos below) and we were offered the chance to garden in one (we jumped at the chance as we missed our little back yard). For the first five years we pulled weeds and planted annuals and perennials.

Co-op raised garden beds



More Co-op Garden Photos:

garden bed 1 garden bed 5
garden bed 2 garden bed 6
garden bed 3 garden bed 7
garden bed 4 garden bed 8


I would work along the edge of the raised beds with my hoe, rake and reacher stick and my Mother would work in the areas I couldn't reach. I would grow many plants from seeds under a tabletop growlight in my bedroom. My mother had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis several years earlier and it was catching up to her with a vengeance and I was continuing to lose my strength and couldn't walk any more. Finally I realized it was too much and it was beginning to be tiring instead of pleasurable.

We concentrated more on doing our deck and wooden containers ( see photos below ). We had a gate constructed in our deck railing and built a wheelchair ramp with three raised wooden containers along side to serve instead of a railing. In 2001 in the area just outside our balcony which is actually an area of parkade roof we removed the gravel and installed cement pavers on plastic pucks. On this we have placed inverted large plastic pails to set our plastic planters on to raise them up to a comfortable height.

Patio Pavers After Installion

looking East
looking West


All these areas including our deck are in a fairly shady location which presented another challenge. After experimenting with different types and styles of containers for the railing, we settled on 12" circular self-watering plastic pots.They were light weight (as opposed to clay pots), durable, and the self-watering feature was an excellent idea (the reservoir had a built in wick)and you didn't have to water as often and you could also incorporate your premixed soluable fertilizer into it too. My scooter has a special seat which at the flick of a button will raise up, with this I can more easily reach the balcony railing to water plants.

Ramp planter boxes March 2002( I won't be able to update this Spring's flowers as my Scanner bit the dust. Instead I have put on some previous years blooms ).

Species Crocuses
Douglas Bader Tulips
Large crocuses


There is an expression "neccessity is the mother of invention." As I continue to loose my strength, I will have to find new ways to do my gardening. I may not be able to do all that I wish, but the little that I can do, refreshes my soul.



Here is a list of plants that I have grown that I have found to be fairly easy care:

Plants for a sunny location:

Annuals Perennials
Nemisia Fruiticans Miniature Daylilies
Lemon gem tagetes Sweet williams (fragrant)
Golden gem tagetes Coreopsis verticilata
Tangerine gem tagetes Linum flavum
Geraniums Cannas
Celosia plumosa Sedum spectabile (Autumn Joy, Brilliant )
Bidens (Golden Eye) Lavender (fragrant)
Gerberas Sage (herbs)
Petunias (not my favorite as the flowers seem sticky) Greek oregano (herbs)
Celosia cristata Chives (herbs)
Million BellsHollyhocks (if you are able to stake them)
Miniature roses (my favorite)


Plants for a shady location:

Annuals Perennials
ColeusHostas
ImpatiensAstilbe
BegoniasFerns
Rex BegoniasCorydalis
Japanese painted fern
Heuchera (coral bells)
Lysimachia procumbens



Flower Photos :

datura ( Golden Queen) datura ( Golden Queen 2 )
datura ( Evening Fragrance ) iris danfordiae
osteospermun 'Zulu' pansies
Livingstone daisies salpiglosis
nemesia viscaria ( blue angel )
trailing morning glory batchelor buttons
phlox Drummondii, etc.. opium poppy
snapdragons, etc.. tagetes, etc..
miniature rose heliophila
Sweet Surrender rose lewisia
santa claus fuschia lavatera
sidalcea tulips
pear blossoms waterlily tulips
lilliums poached egg flower
species crocus spring flowers
Whiskey Mac Rose


Photos of wheelchair planter table

I am also a volunteer at a local nursing home and help with getting the patients involved with gardening activities. Below are photos of the planterbox used by both ablebodied and wheelchair gardeners.

Wheelchair accessible planter table, long view

Wheelchair accessible planter table, side view






Three Lovely Wheelchair accessible Gardens in British Columbia, Canada



Click on photos to see enlargement.

The Butchart Gardens of BC, Canada

Sunken garden
Wishing Well
Water Garden



VanDusen Botanical Garden Vancouver, Canada





Minter Gardens of BC, Canada



More beautiful gardens to visit in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada



University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
Nitobe Memorial Garden
Bloedel Floral Conservatory

More beautiful gardens to visit in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada


Crystal Garden
Victoria Butterfly gardens ( wheelchair accessible )









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