Mobility and flexibility may become reduced in later years, but you can still garden outside. Being actively involved in an outdoor project is energising and brings a sense of accomplishment, and of anticipation – looking forward to and planning for the future – what plants to grow, crops to harvest. If this is done in a community setting, the social benefits can markedly increase quality of life.

Raised beds are a good option, constructed to the height that best suits. Try lightweight containers, or those on castors.

Trellises and vertical supports will allow for plants to climb upwards to enable easy access. Make sure that there is a bench nearby, or chairs for a rest in between tasks, or for sitting and admiring achievements.

There are lots of ingenious tools available and are ergonomic, which means they are designed for both efficiency and comfort. Some have been made for people with arthritis and mobility issues.

Automatic watering systems make the arduous and often heavy work of watering redundant, providing they are set up correctly and can be adjusted to suit the prevailing weather. Because the nozzles are pointed directly at the parts of the plants that need it, they can potentially be water-saving too.

Imagine a life where you might be, through immobility or illness, trapped inside for most of the day, unable to step outside for a breath of fresh air, to go for a walk, or do some gardening. Feelings of isolation and depression can result, but health and wellbeing benefits can still be gained from interacting with nature in an indoor situation. Activities like tending to houseplants, propagation and flower arranging are all beneficial, raising self-esteem and promoting a feeling of achievement.

Pegasus Homes connects with external providers, like Jonathan Moseley, a well known floral designer, who has hosted events at Highfields. Jonathan shares his thoughts on the benefits that flowers and nature can bring to our wellbeing in later life, and offers some top tips on creating colourful displays in small areas, and ideas for making cut flowers last longer:

“Spring flowers offer such welcome cheer after the dark cold days of winter. A bunch of daffodils or hyacinths can immediately cheer up a room or offer the most intoxicating fragrance. For me spring flowers are arguably my favourite blooms to work with and the fact that many are UK grown and relatively inexpensive makes them attainable for everyone to enjoy.

Many Spring flowers like tulips, narcissi, iris and hyacinths are bulb flowers and the soft fleshy stems are best arranged in shallow water as opposed to deep water. Always add flower food into the water when arranging your flowers as the sugars and minerals which it contains will enable buds to fully mature into large flowers.

Flowers like tulips, which continue to grow once they have been cut, benefit from having extra foliage or twigs to support the top heavy flowers. Try mixing them with twiggy birch stems, pussy willow or aromatic eucalyptus.

Small delicate flowers like snowdrops, muscari, anemones or primulas look stunning arranged into mini vintage ceramic flower rings or ‘glass flower frogs’ which can be easily sourced from charity or vintage/junk shops. Mix them with fragrant herbs like rosemary, mint or sage to create a wonderfully fragrant display.

Branches of early spring flowering shrubs like forsythia, ribes (flowering currant), cornus, witch hazel and cherry blossom can be gathered early before the buds begin to open. Place the bare branches in a vase of water in a warm room and they can be miraculously forced open when placed into flower within a couple of weeks.”

Pegasus has done some research recently with the over 55s and found that 57% of respondents enjoy hobbies to keep them mentally active. It is well known that socialising plays a huge role in mental wellbeing too, and access to communal spaces – both indoors and outside – offer wonderful opportunities to come together and enjoy a new hobby with like-minded people. 
From tending a garden to cultivating a pot plant on a windowsill, research by the Mental Health Foundation highlights the critical role of nature in supporting good mental health and encourages people to connect with ‘everyday’ nature close to home to maximise the benefits it can bring to our wellbeing, whatever our age or ability.

To find out more about Pegasus’s new community, Highfields, and their other developments, visit pegasushomes.co.uk.
Jo’s gardening courses starting
in spring are now booking.
Call 07923 969634 or see hornbrookmanor.co.uk