How to make your garden accessible

Tips to help you make your garden accessible

Here are my recommendations for making green spaces more inclusive.

Choose plants and features that generate sound

Using a rain chain or wind chimes can help create a calming, auditory experience for visitors. If you’re in an area with lots of wind, swishing grasses or leafy shrubs are an excellent choice.

Prioritise texture and scent

Tactile, aromatic plants such as rosemary, thyme and sage have wonderful scents and textures for visitors to explore.

Avoid using plants with thorns or toxic sap that would be dangerous to humans if touched or ingested. Foxgloves and roses are beautiful to look at, but people with visual impairments could accidentally harm themselves while brushing past them.

Raise your garden beds

Using raised garden beds enables people with visual impairments to be closer to plants. Depending on the building method, they can also provide seating for people who need a place to rest.

Raised beds can make gardening more accessible for people with mobility issues or those using a wheelchair because they reduce the need to bend down, making planting, weeding and harvesting easier.

Use a firm ground surface

The type and size of garden pathways are vitally important for accessible gardens. Firm, stable ground surfaces make navigation easier for people who use a white cane by ensuring there are no gaps or divots for canes to get stuck in. A wheelchair circle is also a great addition to ensure visitors can enter and exit the space.

Minimise maintenance and upkeep

Keeping gardens drought and flood-tolerant makes them more climate-resilient. It also reduces the need to lift watering cans or drag hoses, which can be difficult for people with disabilities. A low-maintenance garden can reduce stress and worry if the gardener has a period of ill health and can’t tend it for a while.

Having the chance to suggest accessibility considerations to Barker Langham and Ostara Garden Design to support the planning of the garden has been wonderful.

The entire garden has been designed as a place for every sense and for everyone, where every visitor can feel included and that they belong. I can’t wait to see it come to life at Chelsea in May!

You can buy your tickets for the Chelsea Flower Show on the RHS website.