Gardening Tips for Seniors: How to Adapt Your Garden as You Age Gracefully

I’ve always wanted to make gardening a lifelong hobby because I plan to have dirt under my nails well into my 80s or 90s, but I never really thought through HOW to make that happen. Because as much as we love our plants, gardening as you age is not about doing the same thing forever. I see it with my mom who’s an incredible gardener. She has that true plant parent energy, but even she has to change how she gardens. So what if the secret to longevity is just learning how to garden differently? To help me with that topic is Rhonda Fleming Hayes. She’s the author of Garden for Life and has been gardening across more climates, zones, and life changes than most of us can imagine. And in this episode, she teaches us gardening tips for seniors and how to adapt your garden as you age so gardening stays joyful!   In this episode, we learn: [02:56] Meet Rhonda Fleming Hayes, author of Garden for Life! [03:25] What do we call “senior gardeners” without promoting ageism? [04:21] Why 55 is the turning point for when/how much you garden! [05:56] How has Rhonda's gardening experience been? [08:09] How Rhonda’s relationship with her garden has changed as she’s gotten older [09:42] What are the mistakes senior gardeners make? [12:04] Gardening as something that should change with you! [13:03] Why continuing to garden matters as you age [15:09] Concrete Botany by Joey Santore [16:14] My summer with Melody + how companionable garden buddies help each other! [18:49] How to evaluate your garden for safety/accessibility? [21:00] Tools that make gardening sustainable over time [23:06] How to start gardening over again when moving to a new space [25:59] Why you need to create "way stations" to sit and enjoy your garden [27:52] How to overcome the “ego blow” of hiring professional garden help [31:01] What does Rhonda's own Minnesota garden look like? [33:40] What getting help actually looks like in practice [34:39] Inspiring real-life gardener stories from her book, Garden for Life [36:27] Where to find Rhonda and her book online   Mentioned in our conversation: Rhonda’s books: Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators   For Rhonda's complete senior gardening tips check out the full show notes and blog here!   Follow Rhonda: InstagramBlueSky The Garden Buzz Facebook The Garden Buzz X   Thank you to our episode sponsor: Quarto: Concrete Botany by Joey Santore Grab Concrete Botany at quarto.com and wherever books are sold.   Follow Maria and Growing Joy: Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle) Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria</