Helpful Tips to Maintain Your Own Small Garden in Senior Living Cottages

Tending to a garden can be one of the most peaceful and therapeutic things in life, no matter what stage you’re in. Retirement age is perhaps one of the best times to do it. You have more time on your hands to do the things you love, you experience the outdoors, and it also provides you with a source of peace, purpose, and creativity. When it comes to cottage living, you can be able to have your own small garden that you can maintain on a regular basis.

The question now becomes, what plans will you have for your garden? Whether you are new to gardening or have built up quite the green thumb over the years, it’s exciting to have something to call your own when you’re living in a senior cottage.

Start Small and Choose the Right Plants

Simplicity is what matters when it comes to maintaining a garden. Sure, you’re working with compact space such as the cottage courtyard, a patio, or even a porch. However, it’s just enough to get started without any worry about the need for additional space. Container gardening is excellent for someone in your situation whether you live in a cottage. 

Raised planters or potted gardens are excellent since you have more control and easy access. Not to mention, it makes it easier for the garden to get adequate amounts of sun and water. Plus, it makes the work a little less of a physical challenge. Meaning you won’t have to do a lot of bending or kneeling that normally happens with regular gardening.

What kind of plants are considered the best option when starting out with your own small garden? There are plenty of low-maintenance options that you can choose from. Plus, they have the ability to thrive in the ever-changing climate of Oklahoma. They include some of the following types:

• Colorful blooms: Marigolds, zinnia, geraniums are excellent options here since they are colorful, easy to maintain, and can certainly bring you joy every time you see them.

• Fragrant herbs: This may include mint, basil, and rosemary. You can even use these to include in some of the dishes you can cook on a regular basis. 

• Compact vegetables: Peppers or cherry tomatoes may be something where your space becomes more colorful and yes, even flavorful. 

Whatever you go with, your garden will be easy to maintain, stay beautiful, and provide you with bountiful rewards throughout the entire year. In cottage living, that’s something you can always look forward to along with many of the other benefits of community living.

Gardening Is More Comfortable And Accessible Than Ever

The thing with gardening is that it’s intended to be relaxing instead of being physically intensive. Besides, if you live in a cottage in retirement, the physical intensiveness of it can do more harm than good. That is why gardening is more comfortable and accessible now than in the past.

That’s because there are numerous lightweight, ergonomic tools that you can use to help reduce strain on your hands and wrists. If you do need to kneel down (or if you are able to) you can do so with additional comfort through the use of kneeling pads or even small gardening stools. But still, you don’t have to get on your knees working on your garden.

Instead, you can consider vertical gardening. This includes hanging baskets or wall planters, both of which allow you to garden at eye level without putting any unnecessary strain on yourself.

Water Wisely and Efficiently

Finally, it may be a good idea to discuss proper watering even in a warm climate like Oklahoma’s. Instead of daily light watering, consider deep, thorough watering every few days. This can be great for strengthening root growth over time. Plus, you can simplify the routine with self-watering containers or even drip irrigation systems, both of which can be reliable approaches to making gardening a lot easier. 

In addition, you can add mulch or small decorative pebbles on top of the soil so water is properly retained while ensuring your garden looks nice and tidy. Further adding a bit more simplicity to your garden rather than making things more complicated.

Want to Bring Your Gardening Dreams To Life? Move to Lyndale of Edmond

At Lyndale of Edmond, you can have a cottage where you can enjoy the activity of gardening. You have the right space to get it done and include whatever fits best in the growing space of your dreams. Whether it’s colorful flowers or flavorful veggies, it can be done. Contact us today for more information or to set up a tour of our cottages.