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I’ve always wanted to make gardening a lifelong hobby because I plan to have dirt under my nails well into my 80s or 90s, but I never really thought through HOW to make that happen.

Because as much as we love our plants, gardening as you age is not about doing the same thing forever. I see it with my mom who’s an incredible gardener. She has that true plant parent energy, but even she has to change how she gardens.

So what if the secret to longevity is just learning how to garden differently? To help me with that topic is Rhonda Fleming Hayes. She’s the author of Garden for Life and has been gardening across more climates, zones, and life changes than most of us can imagine. And in this episode, she teaches us gardening tips for seniors and how to adapt your garden as you age so gardening stays joyful!

 

In this episode, we learn:

• [02:56] Meet Rhonda Fleming Hayes, author of Garden for Life!
• [03:25] What do we call “senior gardeners” without promoting ageism?
• [04:21] Why 55 is the turning point for when/how much you garden!
• [05:56] How has Rhonda's gardening experience been?
• [08:09] How Rhonda’s relationship with her garden has changed as she’s gotten older
• [09:42] What are the mistakes senior gardeners make?
• [12:04] Gardening as something that should change with you!
• [13:03] Why continuing to garden matters as you age
• [15:09] Learn the resilience of native plants with Joey Santore’s book, Concrete Botany!
• [16:14] My summer with Melody + how companionable garden buddies help each other!
• [18:49] How to evaluate your garden for safety/accessibility?
• [21:00] Tools that make gardening sustainable over time
• [23:06] How to start gardening over again when moving to a new space
• [25:59] Why you need to create “way stations” to sit and enjoy your garden
• [27:52] How to overcome the “ego blow” of hiring professional garden help
• [31:01] What does Rhonda's own Minnesota garden look like?
• [33:40] What getting help actually looks like in practice
• [34:39] Inspiring real-life gardener stories from her book, Garden for Life
• [36:27] Where to find Rhonda and her book online

 

 

 

Order my book!

Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

 

 

What Is Gardening for Seniors?

Gardening shouldn’t be something you outgrow! In fact, many of the best and most knowledgeable plant parents are those who have spent decades working with plants.

Ageism in the real world is very real, and a lot of it comes from the gardeners themselves calling themselves “too old” to garden or quietly putting away their trowel because they think their best growing days are behind them.

So who is gardening for seniors actually for? Rhonda targets 55 or older as the sweet spot because that’s when big life changes tend to happen all at once (retirement, grandkids, more travel, etc.)

She also shared this quote: “You don’t stop gardening when you grow old… you grow old when you stop gardening.”

 

 

Common Challenges Senior Gardeners Face

Rhonda talked about how so many gardeners spend decades building these big, beautiful spaces.

And then slowly, almost without noticing, that garden shifts from being a source of joy to something that feels overwhelming.

 

A lot of times, it looks like this:

• Holding onto a large garden that’s too much to maintain
• Avoiding the idea of downsizing your garden
• Keeping plants that are past their prime
• Putting off changes that would actually make things easier

 

 

How to Adapt Your Garden for Comfort and Safety

Most gardeners wait too long to address the fact that gardening is slowly becoming a chore or hazard for them.

 

So Rhonda suggests to evaluate these things:

• Fall and trip hazards – uneven paths, loose pavers, anything that could catch a foot
• Overgrown or dangerous plants – thorny shrubs, big overhanging branches, trees that need work
• Overall maneuverability – can you actually move through the space safely, or has it gotten tight?
• What do I actually still enjoy here? – reflect on what you actually want in your garden

 

 

Swap These Tools and Save Your Knees

Tools surely make gardening easier, and that’s something you should keep in mind, especially as you age.

 

Here are the tools Rhonda recommends:

• Long-handled tools (hoes, weeders, cultivators) – to keep you upright and off your knees
• Ergonomic tools – to reduce strain on hands and wrists
• Lightweight, battery-powered tools – like cordless hand pruner

 

 

Downsizing Doesn’t Mean Giving Up Gardening

A lot of you assume that moving to a condo or a 55-plus community means the end of your gardening. But that’s not true at all!

Of course, there are practical things to think about, especially if you’re moving somewhere with an HOA where rules can be restrictive. It’s worth paying attention to what’s allowed… and what kind of gardening culture already exists in that space.

 

Instead of managing everything, you get to choose one thing you really love.

• Raised beds
• Container gardening
• Vertical growing
• Focusing on specific interests like herbs or flowers

 

 

When It’s Time to Ask for Help

You know your garden over anyone else, so are you supposed to just hand it over to someone else? It might feel like you’re cheating.

Rhonda was guilty of this kind of mindset, but she eventually let go of that.

So how do you figure out what kind of help you actually need? You need to ask yourself: Do I need muscle or do I need expertise?

Rhonda suggests trying an hourly consult first. You get fresh eyes on your garden, maybe a few sketches or ideas, without committing to a full redesign.

There’s also the middle option of companiable help, aka a gardening buddy. Someone like my dear friend Melody (God bless her soul), or Rhonda’s Kurt who has been helping her with garden cleanups and pruning for 10 years!

 

 

A Shift in Mindset Makes All the Difference

Perhaps the most important change is mental. I mean, I’m already feeling kind of excited about the future of my garden and all the changes I have to adapt… just so I don’t ever have to stop gardening.

All we need to do is to let go of unnecessary tasks and focus on meaningful things to stay connected to nature in new ways.

You don’t have to keep up with your garden. Your garden can grow with you.

 

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

Rhonda’s books:

• Garden for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age
• Pollinator Friendly Gardening: Gardening for Bees, Butterflies, and Other Pollinators

 

 

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Quarto: Concrete Botany by Joey Santore

Have you ever noticed plants growing through sidewalks and wondered how they survive there? Concrete Botany by Joey Santore explores the resilience of plants in overlooked urban spaces, focusing less on how-to gardening and more on what these plants reveal about survival and adaptation. Through real-world examples, Joey shows how native plants persist in tough environments and what their ecology can teach us about restoring biodiversity in our own surroundings.

 

Grab The Productive Garden at quarto.com and wherever books are sold.

 

 

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