Gardening doesn’t have to slow down as we get older — but it does need to evolve. In this episode, award-winning garden writer and author Rhonda Fleming Hayes shares practical, empowering strategies from her new book, “Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age,” showing how we can right-size our gardens, protect our bodies and continue growing with purpose and joy for decades to come.
Rhonda is based in Minneapolis, where she contributes to The Minnesota Star Tribune, Northern Gardener and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. She has volunteered as an Extension Master Gardener since 2000 and is a member of GardenComm, the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and the Herb Society of America. She is also a past trustee of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
Rhonda planted her “hummingbird haven” in an elevated garden bed. Getting beds and planters up off the grounds means less bending and strain while gardening.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Rhonda Fleming Hayes is the author of “Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinators,” published in 2015, and her latest book, “Garden for Life,” is set to be released on April 21.
She brings a lifetime of gardening wisdom to a question all of us eventually face: How do we keep gardening with joy, purpose and sustainability as we age?
Rhonda explores how to right-size gardens, reduce strain on our bodies and rethink how we work in the landscape so our gardens continue to nourish us instead of exhaust us. This includes choosing plants and practices that are more resilient, using tools and techniques that support our bodies and designing gardens that are sustainable for the long haul. Her upcoming book is a thoughtful, practical guide on how to continue gardening for years to come.
I love the message of “Garden for Life” because it’s not about doing less and giving up what we love. It’s about gardening smarter.
How Rhonda Became Inspired to Write ‘Garden for Life’
Being a garden writer and interviewing other gardeners frequently, Rhonda noticed that the people with the really great gardens have gray hairs. They are in great shape and have such a good outlook on life, she says.
She started to consider easier, better and smarter ways to garden as we age. “Garden for Life” originated with a newspaper story Rhonda wrote about how, as she sits on her porch writing and watching weeds grow in her yard, she sees her 82-year-old neighbor is out working in her garden. It occurred to Rhonda that gardening is a magical elixir.
Donna Hamilton, a talented and tireless gardener, who helped inspire the topic, checking on her perennial garden.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Letting Go of Guilt
Rhonda talks to many people who feel guilty because they can’t keep up with their gardens anymore, and there becomes this point where the garden goes from being a joy to a chore.
“That’s that point where you either say maybe I need some help, or maybe it’s time to move,” she says.
Gardeners are under no obligation to keep up the same level of intensity as they age.
”Over the years, you’ve done all this work and you’ve created this wonderful, huge garden,” Rhonda says. “And then suddenly one day it’s — oh, this is too much. What do I do?”
That’s a turning point for gardeners to decide whether they would like to try to keep going or downsize.
“I talked to lots of gardeners in the process of writing this book, and they all had their own path they took,” she says. “… We can’t stop time, but we can change our gardens and we can change our expectations.”
Vertical gardening is a blessing for senior gardeners. You can even grow squash and melons with this method.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Right-Sizing Your Garden
A lot of people think of their plants as their children, Rhonda says. Or they don’t want to leave their home.
A home can be remodeled for aging in place, such as adding grab-bars and non-slip rugs. Gardens can also be adapted to make them easier to spend time in.
“One way is to break the garden into zones where there are different levels of maintenance,” Rhonda says.
Areas closest to the house will be the most cultivated, with your favorite plants, while farther from the house, areas could be transformed into something that requires less maintenance. For example, lawns can be reduced in size.
Rhonda suggested not planting any annuals in the ground. Save annuals for containers. Containers can be grouped and used in many creative ways. And raising everything up off the ground means not having to bend over.
Big swaths of perennials that require lots of deadheading, dividing and cutting back can be replaced with flowering, fruiting shrubs. “You get the same beauty but not the maintenance,” she says.
Garden art or a water feature can be added — and neither requires deadheading.
She also acknowledges that these are economic decisions. Some people can readily pay to have landscapers come and mow their lawns and trim their hedges. For others, that work will fall on themselves personally, so reducing maintenance requirements is all the more important.
Safe paths are a must for aging gardeners. This one in landscape designer Cory Barton’s garden uses a stable gravel mix to ensure smooth passage.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Emotional Roadblocks
Decluttering your home as you get older so you don’t pass a burden onto your children is a practice that has gotten a lot of attention. Rhonda advises decluttering your garden too, even if it means getting rid of your favorite plants with sentimental value.
“You have to get in there and be decisive and a little bit savage about what you might want to remove from the garden so that you can make it easier,” she says.
It’s not easy to be savage though. For example, Rhonda has rugosa roses next to her driveway that buzz with bees in summer and smell heavenly. But weeks later, the Japanese beetles land, and the rugosas turn disgusting. Managing the annual beetle infestation is hard work, and she knows she should get rid of the troublesome plants, but she hasn’t been able to bring herself to do that just yet.
Some plants are no-brainers to let go of. Invasive plants are a buzzkill in your garden. Overgrowing junipers drown the landscape.
Master Gardener Sandra Mangel is a living testament to the benefits of gardening. Her “Cinderella Cottage” garden literally stops traffic. She is starting a garden design business at the age of 82. Her slogan is “Just keep going.”
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Picks Plants That Require the Least Work
Rhonda grows pole beans rather than bush beans, and vining cucumbers rather than bush cucumbers. Because growing vertically means not having to bend over to maintain plants and harvest crops.
Choosing native plants, which evolved to thrive in your climate and soil conditions, or nativars — cultivars of native plants — means less work watering, fertilizing and otherwise maintaining plants.
Choose Safety
Gardener and writer Toni Gattone promotes the 20-20-20 rule. That is, “do a specific chore for no more than 20 minutes at a time, then switch to another chore using different muscle groups. In between, take breaks to give your body a rest and continue to stretch to keep your body limber.”
However long you do a task, use smart tools that are ergonomic, keeping your hand in a neutral position for repetitive motions.
Avoid using ladders; the risk is too high. Also be wary of power tools. They are like a double-edged sword because they can make a job less strenuous but power tool injuries can be severe.
Senior fitness expert and Master Gardener, Jacq Hauser shows the proper position for kneeling in the garden to avoid lower back pain.
Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Biophilia
“People are just drawn to the outdoors,” Rhonda says.
This concept, popularized by biologist and naturalist Edward O. Wilson, is called biophilia, which means “love of life,” and describes how humans have an affinity for the natural world.
“When you are outdoors, you tend to feel better,” Rhonda says. “Your guard goes down if you’re not being chased by a bear.”
This sidewalk chess table adds a social component to the garden, an important part of positive aging.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Plant the Seed
Rhonda credits her grandmother with inspiring her to become a gardener.
“Grandparents have a hard time competing with screens and all the sports activities and the overscheduled kids,” she observes. “And I think it’s harder and harder now to just go out and take your kid out in the backyard and let them pick tomatoes or play with bugs or whatever, and that’s just so important to nurture that connection with nature.”
Rhonda encourages children in her neighborhood to visit her garden to find monarch caterpillars on milkweed that they can raise to become butterflies.
She says if a kid stops by your garden and seems interested, it’s important to talk to them about it.
“ I always say, ‘Plant the seed.’”
These tabletop gardens at the Nokomis Senior Living Co-op are a popular attraction for folks who want to continue to reap the benefits of gardening.
Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Rhonda wants people to remember that they don’t need a large property to be a gardener. You can garden on a table with houseplants, bonsai and terrariums.
If you haven’t listened yet to my conversation with Rhonda Fleming Hayes on “Garden for Life,” you can do so now by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking the Play icon in the green bar under the page title.
How have you adapted your garden and gardening activities as you’ve gotten older? Let us know in the comments below.
Links & Resources
Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. See full disclosure below.
Episode 065: Tips for Reducing Garden Overwhelm, with Margaret Roach
Episode 254: Overcoming Gardening Hurdles
Episode 273: Healing Through Gardening, with Stephanie Rose
Episode 383: Gardening Burnout
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; seed starting and more.
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joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals: Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes: Learn how to grow epic tomatoes with Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Learn the proactive steps to take to manage pests, diseases and weeds for a more successful garden with a lot less frustration. Just $47 for lifetime access!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Perfect Soil Recipe Master Class: Learn how to create the perfect soil environment for thriving plants.
Rhonda Fleming Hayes on Bluesky
Rhonda Fleming Hayes on Instagram | @rhondafleminghayes
“Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age” by Rhonda Fleming Hayes
“Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies and Other Pollinators” by Rhonda Fleming Hayes
“Gardening Complete: How to Best Grow Vegetables, Flowers, and Other Outdoor Plants” by Editors of Cool Springs Press
Territorial Seed Company – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Soil3 – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I receive a commission every time you purchase a product through an Amazon affiliate link. Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us, and compensation is not an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast was based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Milorganite, Soil3, Territorial Seed Company, Cool Springs Press / Quarto Group and Dramm. These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
