Everybody that visits or lives in your home should be able to enjoy your backyard, regardless of their age or physical capabilities. It is for this reason why you should strive to ensure that your garden is as accessible as it can possibly be.
Here are just some of the things that you must do to transform your yard into an accessible area:
Invest in low-maintenance plants
By investing in a number or low-maintenance plants, everybody will be able to partake in the task of planting, pruning, cutting, and growing regardless of their physical condition.
If you want to create a yard that is accessible and effortless, you should consider investing in the following plants:
- Coneflowers
- Daylilies
- Cosmos
- Agastache
- Coreopsis
- Pasque flowers
- Yarrow
- Lantana
- Hosta
Level your yard
If a member of your family is not able-bodied, it will be difficult for them to make use of your yard should the area be heavily sloped. Even a task as simple as maintaining the garden will be made near impossible for them if this is the case, which is why you should consider having your yard levelled.
When preparing to level your yard (particularly your lawn), you must:
- Check for low spots
- Unearth all drainage issues
- Pre-water the area to make sure the soil is not too hard
- After levelling, fertilize the area lightly
Have a lift fitted
If levelling your yard to ensure that it sits entirely on an even keel proves too difficult a task, then you might want to have a lift fitted instead. This will grant the elderly members of your family with an opportunity to enjoy the lowest level of your garden without them having to circumvent any stairs.
Rest assured, there are plenty of options for wheelchair users when it comes to fitting platform stairlifts into your garden. When choosing a lift in this instance, just be sure to opt for one that is safe, reliable, and manufactured to the highest of standards. Not investing in quality in this instance could see you face additional problems, such as a mid-stair lift malfunction, going forward.
Get rid of your pond
Ponds might look aesthetically appealing, but they aren’t practical in an accessible sense. Should a member of your family that isn’t able-bodied fall into your pond while unsupervised, they might not be able to pull themselves free, and dire consequences could follow.
In the interest of safety, it is best that you get rid of your pond altogether. If you are determined to have some form of open water in your yard, then you can always have a small raised timber pond fitted instead. Everybody should be afforded the opportunity to spend time in your yard, whether they’re able-bodied or not. To ensure that your garden is accessible for all, you must put the above advice into practice.
Invest in low-maintenance plants, level your lawn, have a lift fitted, and get rid of your pond — do all of that, and your yard should be accessible in no time.
