Let’s define the terms before we have this conversation.
“Gardening” is the application of time, muscle, and money to
your home grounds for the purpose of providing joy,
exercise, and real estate property enhancement. You are
“old” when 75% of your contemporaries garden on the window
sills of their assisted living facilities.
Passionate gardening without guilt is enjoyed by the old
only when they readjust their standards of perfection.
Lawns, for example, do not need to look fine enough to pass
inspection at the Master’s tournament. Take off your
bifocals and if your lawn appears to be smoothly green, it
passes. The alternative is a lawn service that will use the
funds you have set aside for a cruise. This may be just as
well: most men, I expect, would rather admire green grass
than blue sea when the blue sea means dressing for dinner.
The
square footage of lawn should be in inverse proportion to
the age of the gardener. In place of sweeping lawn have deep
borders composed of trees and shrubs. By choosing small
flowering trees such as dogwoods, shadblow, fringe tree,
vitex, and redbud as well as shrubs such as azalea, witch
hazel and weigela, you have year around color and interest
with very little effort. Smaller evergreens, well mulched,
can bridge the space between shrubs and lawn. The use of
ground covers that return without being coaxed make
gardening easier. Pachysandra, epimedium, and ajuga serve in
shady spots and creeping phlox and herbs like thyme blanket
dry sunny places where grass is reluctant to grow.
None of
these plants require a lot of care. If you have been taking
moderately good care of your soil, it is fertile enough for
trees and shrubs and simple ground covers. When these plants
are established they do not require additional fertilizer.
In fact, overfeeding results in lush growth that is prone to
winter or storm damage.
If your
landscape has a sunny spot for a vegetable garden, use
raised beds. Hard to imagine, but just a foot off the ground
makes planting and harvesting half the effort! For those of
us who failed carpentry 101 there are kits that go together
as easily as Lincoln logs. They are costly but dining on
that superb produce will guarantee you will be gardening
long enough for the vegetables to balance the cost.
Some
chores are inevitable. If you have had the foresight to
install drip irrigation, congratulations! It is prudent and
effective. Walking may be healthy but lugging that hose can
trip you up and waste water. Fill the watering can half full
and slowly water only those newly planted treasures. Your
older shrubs will outlive you anyway just by taking their
chances with what nature provides.
It is a
good idea to carry a stout stick for balance. I noticed I
was hauling my heavy spade with me, using it as a prop, so I
acknowledged the need for the branch-converted-to-stick my
son made for hiking uneven trails years ago. Actually,
leaning on a stick gives you more purchase with the other
arm. If you are reluctant to be seen using a cane or stick,
remember that we elders become invisible with age.
Perhaps
you have been dumped unceremoniously by a lightweight
folding chair or stackable plastic chair? Senior gardeners
merit a safe and sturdy perch while they admire past efforts
and plan future endeavors. Treat yourself!
Mulching
is the key to preventing weeds and loss of moisture. I don’t
have a place to have a large load deposited so I buy it in
small, two square foot bags. Larger bags are less expensive
but a bad back is costly. You make the judgment call.
Usually I decant the mulch into a pail, helpful in
scattering it exactly where it is needed.
I have spent a lot of time trying to
simplify my planting without great success. As plants die, I
heave out the remains and let their neighbors fill the gap.
Because I find diversity refreshing, I don’t have the
numbers of one species that would make a garden both more
stylish and easier to manage. I do let plants like the
black-eyed Susan spread at will since weeds don’t make a
dent when that Rudbeckia shoulders them out.
Much as I love roses, I am content with a
few old shrub roses and new disease-resistant ones, leaving
the glorious hybrid teas for the young with more patience
and skill. One fragrant bloom in a small vase cheers me; I
truly don’t need dozens. Generally, I leave the flowers
outside as an excuse to visit them. Perhaps the old are like
the very young, easily delighted by the interplay of light
and color in the blessed out of doors.