Celebrating mom with extra help

In the month of May, we celebrate mothers. Lunch with family is always nice. However, as a mom, and, if we are fortunate enough to still have our mothers with us, at this stage in life there is no need for trinkets. Receiving a gift that helps us continue to do the things we enjoy though is a thoughtful and appreciated gift that goes beyond a bouquet of flowers. 

As we get older our ability to grip hand tools changes. Knees creak. General muscle strength
tends to fade. And we need to be kinder to our skin, too. The list of deficiencies seems endless,
but there is still joy in nurturing a garden. We just need to adjust our approach. 

When I started gardening, I could man-handle just about anything. I got a wheeled garbage can
that I thought could double-duty as garden mulch hauler. After a year or two of aggravation and nearly harming myself when it toppled (it is top heavy), I decided that I really needed a wheelbarrow. It was one of my best garden investments. I still use that wheelbarrow. It is  sized for me. A few years ago, the grips cracked. I did not want to replace my wheelbarrow, but the cracked grips made it difficult to use. My husband kindly found replacement grips for it. Every season, I thank him for being so thoughtful. He is not keen on being in the garden with me, but when I look at the yellow grips, he’s there. 

My mother, however, has been told that she cannot lift anything heavy. She still likes to work in the garden, but a wheelbarrow needs to be lifted, and it is too heavy and unwieldly of a tool for her. Thankfully, there are ways around a wheelbarrow, so I gave her something a bit different that still works just as well. She is delighted with the garden wagon I gave her. She has filled raised garden beds by putting pails in her wagon that she partially fills with garden soil. She then pulls the wagon to the bed to empty the pails. It is slow, steady work that lets her continue doing what she enjoys. I’m amazed at what she can get done. It also helps to keep her fit. 

Ergonomic, ratcheting, and battery assisted pruners also help aging hands in the garden. These tools reduce pressure on finger joints and require less direct strength to use. Be careful using battery pruners. They are unselective clippers. Make sure that only the branches you want removed make their way between the blades, and not one of your digits. 

Battery tools are very helpful. My brother selected a lightweight weed trimmer for my mother. The battery lasts only 20 minutes, but my mother thinks that is perfect. It means that she must take a break after 20 minutes, or less if the grass is wet, long, or there are tough weeds in the area. The time limit prevents her from overexerting herself. 

There is a common gardeners’ tool used both indoors and outdoors that needs more consideration. It is the watering can. It is often purchased because of its price, colour, or look. It really should be selected for how well it suits the user. When filled, will it be too heavy? Is the handle comfortable to grip? Is it balanced for carrying full? Does it fi  under the tap of the rain barrel or is it too tall? The spout of the watering can is also important. Does it provide a reach to the containers you want to fill? Can you control the flow of water or does the plant experience Niagara Falls when you try to give it a light watering? The lowly ol’e watering can is a much more complex tool than many think. You may not need to invest in a Haw’s watering can, but perhaps an upgrade? 

May is for moms, but these ideas work for gardener dads, too. To learn more about gardening in the Calgary area visit www.calhort.org.