ardening is not only a rewarding pastime, it is considered to have beneficial effects on the body and mind (e.g. lowering blood-pressure and reducing stress). Formal programs called horticultural therapy recognize and use the physical, mental and spiritual benefits of gardening to help their patients. 

Although some health problems like arthritis, back pain and injuries, disabilities caused by accidents, can make gardening difficult, if not impossible for some people to do, with a little planning and creativity gardening can be adapted to all sorts of special needs and made available to everyone.

Here are some important points to consider:

• Size – small gardens are easier to manage and give the feeling of satisfaction and achievement; a garden that is too big tends to be overwhelming and discouraging.
• Accessibility – the garden should be easily accessible, which includes both reaching the garden site and access to the planting area. Consider the size of gates and doors so that a wheelchair can pass through them. They should also be light enough to move easily. Make gardening walkways three feet wide with a non-slippery surface. Build ramps, handrails or handgrips where possible. Container gardening can be done almost anywhere by anyone. Growing plants in containers is ideal for people who have trouble bending over a flowerbed or maneuvering around a large garden. Easy access can be ensured by using raised ground beds (specially suited for physically disabled children or adults who prefer to work on mats or dollies), deep raised beds (built at a height and width that will provide the physically disabled people with easy access from a sitting position), elevated beds (especially good for chair-bound people who want to be able to get their legs underneath the bench so that they can work comfortably from their chair), containers (especially good because they can be moved around and even started indoors before the weather is warm enough outside), miniature gardens, window boxes(especially suitable for people who are unable to work outside), planting bags (although relatively expensive they can produce a small garden if other methods are difficult), hanging baskets (should be provided with a pulley system, otherwise they may be inaccessible to the physically disabled person.
• Tools – choosing the right type of tools and using them in the most efficient way will make work in the garden easier and much more pleasant. Use soaker-hose or drip-irrigation to avoid lugging hoses around. Pulleys can be used to lower hanging planters for easy watering. Lightweight tools with large handles are suitable for people who suffer from arthritis, tools with long handles are suitable for people who have a bad back. A cord tied around the handles of small tools makes retrieval easier if they are dropped. A piece of lightweight plastic pipe will help the gardener saw seeds without bending. Foam pads can be used when kneeling. Instead of dragging around heavy tools one may put up a shed at a convenient place in the garden. Turning tool pouches into hanging pouches that can be hung from wheelchairs, walkers and the edges of raised beds may reduce effort.
• Safety – people with health problems could benefit most from working in a garden but certain precautions should be taken. Over-exposure to the sun should be avoided, especially by people who take certain prescription drugs. Over-exertion is not desirable, either. A shady place where the gardener can have a rest and enjoy the sight of the garden should be provided. This can be either a bench or a flat surface for a wheelchair in the shade. Keep paths and walkways clear of equipment and tools. Ramps should be edged to prevent the chair from rolling off the ramp’s sides. Wearing gloves is a good way of protecting the gardener’s hands and ensuring a better grip. Cutting tools should be closed after use.

By choosing compact varieties suitable for growing in small scale gardens, disabled gardeners may take pride and satisfaction in growing food for the table, can derive pleasure from growing plants that appeal to the senses – scented plants like herbs and fragrant flowers, plants to listen to when they rustle in a breeze.

Plants that can be grown by disabled gardeners vary from vegetable crops (either fast and easy ones like radishes, spring onions and leaf lettuce or slower ones like tomatoes and beans); annual culinary herbs like dill, parsley, summer savory and sweet basil, perennial culinary herbs including chives, mint, rosemary and thyme; strawberries and other berries; brambles; grapes; annual and perennial flowers; to fruit trees (genetically dwarf or on dwarfing root stocks; heavily pruned to keep the growth within dimensions suitable for a physically disabled gardener, ideally no more than 3,5 feet tall).