These Products Will Make Life Easier For Elderly Gardeners

Getting older doesn’t mean you need to turn your back on gardening. In fact, quite the opposite. This hobby is a great way to stay fit, healthy and active, and the good news is that it’s easy to adapt how you garden to fit your physical ability. We’ve rounded up our favourite gardening products that will make life easier for elderly gardeners.

As just making some simple gardening modifications and using gardening tools designed for the elderly can help you keep gardening.

And if you want any more inspiration to stay green fingered, read our tips for keen gardeners who are getting older.

The Best Gardening Gadgets For The Elderly

There’s a gardening gadget out there to suit any ability and budget. Here’s our pick of the gardening tool bunch.

Older Gardeners Can Protect Their Knees

Bending over flowerbeds or kneeling down (if you’re able to get back up easily) can get tiring for older gardeners’ knees. Avoid them becoming creaky and tired with a practical and protective garden kneeler.

This lightweight kneeler from Spear and Jackson features a handle so it’s easy to carry. It has five layers of padding which moulds to your knees and gives extra support. Plus it’s made from neoprene so is wipe clean, water resistant and quick drying.

If you don’t want to carry a kneeling mat around, then these gardening kneeling pads from Kneelo could be the solution. Pull them on and forget about them. These stretchy pads are made from neoprene and memory foam and provide protection on the go.

Not sure if you want to kneel or sit? This gardening tool has you covered. The garden kneeler folding seat lets you do both, converting into a kneeler and gardening seat. It folds flat for easy carrying and storage and has a small bag that will fit some gardening tools (such as a trowel and secateurs). Meaning you’ll always have the tools you need at a close distance.

For a DIY knee protection fix, find an old mat and cover it with leftover carpet. It might not be as springy and comfortable as the above options but it is a budget-friendly gardening tool option.

We’ve got more gardening gift ideas in our gift guide. If your grandparents or parents are green fingered, check it out for some more gardening tools for the elderly inspiration.

Long Handled Gardening Tools For Bad Backs

Gardening equipment has come on leaps and bounds, and we’re big fans of the adapted options available. Long handled garden tools can help anyone elderly with a back injury – they do the hard work for you as you don’t need to bend down. Our favourite long handled garden tools for bad backs are below.

These are the Faithfull long handled lawn shears. Lawns are not as low maintenance as you might think. If you have one, you probably know you need to keep it in shape and we like these long handled lawn shears which stop older gardeners from having to bend down.

Spear & Jackson long handled trowel. This back-saving aid is a must-have garden tool for the elderly. It’s weather proof and made to last. In fact, Spear & Jackson (the company who make it) have a range endorsed by the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew so they know what they’re talking about!

This easi-grip long handled garden fork has been specially designed for older adults with less hand strength (such as with arthritis). Even better, it is designed to be used from a seated position which means older gardeners don’t need to bend down when using this tool. It also has an arm support cuff for added security – and means you won’t drop it on the floor by mistake.

A bad back can occur when someone has limited core strength. Our physiotherapist Nancy recommends these easy exercises to build your core strength up. And the good news is that they can even be done whilst lying in bed.

Add On Grips And Handles Can Make Gardening Tools Easier To Hold

Gardening gripping aids help older gardeners to get a better grip on their tools.

This Active Hands General Purpose Gripping Aid is designed for people who are gardening with a weak grip. It has adjustable wrist straps and hand covers, pulling your hand into a fist shape. They’re available for the left and right hand.

Another option for elderly gardeners with weak arms or wrists is the Easi-Grip Peta Arm Support Cuff. Cheaper, it’s made from plastic and slots onto your arm. It connects to all Easi-Grip gardening tools which have ergonomic easy grip handles for seniors.

For a free DIY gardening grip solution, wrap foam around the handles to make the gardening tools easier to manage.

Make Pruning Easier For Arthritis Sufferers

Lightweight secatuers and pruning shears are great for arthritis sufferers or people with weak hand grip. Although they are lightweight, they are very durable and are built to last.

The ratchet action on these secateurs means you can cut woody stems up to 25mm with 30% less effort and reduce the chance of damage to arthritic knuckle and finger joints. It requires a ‘squeeze and let go’ technique and is most suitable for hard woody stems and straight cuts.

This next one is an investment but could be worth it for keen gardeners. These Bosch cordless and rechargeable electric secateurs are a great gardening tool invention to make pruning easier.

Helping You Carry Gardening Tools

In this article, our physiotherapist Nancy recommends planning ahead is the trick to smart gardening. That means knowing what gardening tools you will want to take with you for the gardening task ahead. Carrying gardening equipment can be difficult, so these are our favourite gardening accessories to help you.

This Garden Point Rolling Garden Scooter doubles up as a tool carrier and somewhere for you to sit or kneel. It can easily be pulled through grass and dirt. Inside it can store your gardening tools.

Conclusion

There you go, our favourite gardening tools to make this physical activity easier for the elderly. Staying fit and active as you get older is so important to both mental and physical wellbeing, and we hope that being in the garden brings you lots of happiness.