Dorothy and Jim Patterson had been digging in Winnipeg dirt together for thirty-plus years when reality hit hard. Dorothy’s arthritis, Jim’s bum knee that needed replacing – suddenly their beloved garden felt like an enemy.
Hurtng more than enjoying
“We’d put thirty years into those perennial beds,” Dorothy says, looking out at their completely different backyard. “But by 65, we were hurting more than we were enjoying it.”
Instead of hanging up their tools, they got clever. Raised beds, smarter plant choices, and what Dorothy calls “old-people gardening” – though there’s nothing lazy about the planning that went into it.
First Jim built raised beds at different heights. Some regular 8-inch ones for plants that spread out, others cranked up to 24 inches so they could reach everything without bending their backs. “These tall ones are perfect for stuff we pick a lot,” Dorothy shows me, snipping chives from a bed that comes right to her hip.
They also ditched all their fussy annual flowers for perennials that basically look after themselves.
What Dorothy and Jim grow now:
Nuts for native plants
“We went nuts for native plants,” Jim explains. “Coneflowers, black-eyed Susans – they come back every year, laugh at our winters, and the birds and butterflies love them way more than our old garden.”
Their vegetable garden got similar treatment. Instead of long rows of pole beans requiring constant bending and picking, they now grow bush varieties like ‘Provider’ and ‘Contender’ in raised beds. Cherry tomatoes like ‘Sweet 100’ replaced large slicing varieties for easier harvesting, and determinate paste tomatoes like ‘San Marzano Nano’ provide concentrated harvests perfect for weekend sauce-making sessions.
Water management represented another crucial adaptation. They installed soaker hoses throughout their raised beds, connected to a simple timer system. “It’s not that we’ve become incapable of watering,” Dorothy clarifies, “but this allows us to focus our energy on gardening’s most rewarding aspects – planning, planting, and harvesting.”
Embracing seasonal gardening
The Pattersons have also embraced “seasonal gardening.” Rather than maintaining peak performance from May through September, they’ve designed different areas to excel at different times. Their spring bulb garden provides early-season joy without summer maintenance requirements, while fall-focused beds featuring sedums and ornamental grasses create spectacular displays when other gardens are declining.
“People assume accessible gardening means sacrifice,” Jim reflects. “We’ve discovered it actually means being more selective about what brings genuine satisfaction.” Their advice for fellow gardeners facing physical changes? “Don’t wait until discomfort forces adaptation. Modify your garden proactively, and you’ll enjoy it for many more years.”
Their garden now requires approximately half the physical effort of their previous design while providing equal satisfaction. “We’re still outdoors daily during growing season,” Dorothy smiles. “We’re simply gardening more thoughtfully.”
