My wife Wandzia suffered from spine problems for years. Over time, the pain made it difficult for her to move and function normally. The operation helped only for 3 years. After this time, Wandzia began to move in a wheelchair. Every day I helped her leave for her beloved garden. I carried the stroller first, then my wife.
We used to spend every free moment in the garden. After his wife's surgery, he grew overgrown with weeds and looked really bad. Wanda kept telling me she regretted that she couldn't look after him anymore. After all, for years our garden was the apple of her eye. I saw how with each day Wandzia deteriorated in her eyes, just as her once beautiful lawn and flower beds were wasted.I decided to bring the joy of communing with nature into our lives again.
When Wandzia went on a month-long rehabilitation stay, I decided to act. I had enthusiasm and determination because I wanted to restore my wife to a smile on her face. I had been preparing for the change for months. I read gardening newspapers, looked at advice on arranging a garden for the disabled. I already had an action plan in my head. So when my wife left, my son and I went to work.
First of all, I hired two professionals who helped us mark out and arrange paths in the garden. Until now, they were only marked by irregularly arranged stone slabs. The wheelchair was not able to run over them. I bet on solid paving stones. It also had to be well hardened with a machine so that the paths would not warp from rain or snow over time. Apparently, the best road is with a rough, non-slip surface. Concrete would come into play. But I was afraid that it would spoil the garden too much.I preferred it to be a nice concrete cube.
I read on the Internet that the road for two trolleys should be about 2 meters wide. So I assumed that for one it would be 1 meter. For the sake of certainty, however, we have marked all routes to a width of approx. 150 cm. Thanks to this, Wandzia will freely turn the stroller.
We placed the cubes from the door leading from the house to the exit gate. We pulled the arms to the old shed, greenhouse and terrace. We made a gentle descent from the terrace and at the exit door. Thanks to this, Wandzia will be able to leave the house on her own, whenever she wants, and return to it in the same way.
I had the most problems with discounts. After all, they couldn't stay that low. Wandzia would not be able to reach them from the height of the trolley. My son-in-law came to my aid. It was he who invented to develop literally "what is possible". In this way, we poured soil into an old plastic wheelbarrow. It was here that my first flower bed with geraniums was created. We put seedlings in it, which then had to be cultivated by my wife.I also planted the geraniums in an old tub, a wooden tub and … actually wherever I could. I had no idea for other flowers, because I don't know much about them. It was my wife who was good at it. But I knew that if she didn't like them, she would at least be able to plant other flowers herself. It is only important that they have a shallow root system. Thanks to this, he will easily remove them and put in another one.
I placed the boxes with geraniums on the stairs and the window sill. I placed the pots at a height of about 60 cm. This is the optimal height for a person in a wheelchair. I also used old composter boxes for planting. They were about 50 cm high and 50 cm wide. These are the ideal dimensions for a disabled person to effortlessly reach the plant with their hand. If such a raised bed is accessible from one side only, its width should not exceed 75 cm. On the other hand, if such a bed is freely accessible from all sides, it can be up to 150 cm wide.Elevated flower beds not only look nice, but above all are very functional. I also decided to use the ugly concrete well circle as a raised rebate.
I read that wooden tables for flowers are also a good idea. A wheelchair user can easily put their legs underneath them while gardening. Their optimal height is 70-80 cm. Such tables can be arranged along the path. Flowers would cascade from such a flowerbed. Verbena, petunias and even begonias are perfect. I left their choice, type and color to my wife. After all, this is her kingdom.
Along the marked paths, I got rid of poorly growing fruit trees. Falling apples or pears could disturb Wanda's movement. Additionally, you can slip on such rotting fruit.
Instead of a composter or an old bathtub, you can also use wooden pallets for raised beds or build a wall under a flower bed and cover it with stones.This is my plan for next season anyway. It turned out that the garden had been Wanda's hobby so far. This season, it also became a field for me - an avid DIY enthusiast. Now, every spring I will be the first to work in our new garden. However, I had the most satisfaction when my wife returned from rehabilitation. First she cried for a quarter of an hour, and then she just laughed and hugged me with all her strength. Now I know that my plan hit the spot.
Zbigniew Kadłuczka
