As you grow older, you become used to getting called a senior. People think that you require a lot of care. However, the need for care isn’t a one-way situation. You also feel the need to care and cater for something.
This explains the participation of seniors in activities like the cultivation of gardens (indoor or outdoor), pet acquisition, frequent home cleaning, among others. Indoor gardening, however, is our chosen area where we will be discussing indoor gardening ideas for seniors.
What are the Indoor Gardening Ideas for a Senior?
Gardening outdoors can be a hassle, especially for an older person. Indoor gardening, however, is a lot less strenuous and quite therapeutic, making it one of the most suitable activities. The following are a few indoor gardening ideas that can be of immense help to seniors who look to spice up their indoor gardening activities.
1. Windowsill Flower Garden
In indoor gardening, beautiful flowers in beautiful pots and vases on the windowsill is never a bad idea. It prevents the window from looking empty. It also gives it an enchanting and exciting look. The fact that the garden is close to the window also assures the regular access of the flowers to adequate sunlight. This way, you increase the chances of healthy growth. Including this in the plan for your new indoor garden can only have advantages. All you just need do is to give it adequate care, and there, your beauty blooms.
2. An Indoor Herb Garden
As exciting as indoor gardening is, it can only be much more fun if it can be productive. Productivity in the sense that it grows plants that you can consume. Spice up your new or existing indoor garden with the cultivation of edible plants, which generally include herbs and vegetables such as Lavender, Basil, Mint, Chives, Lettuce, Carrot, etc. These plants are usually known to have various health benefits. Check out our article on caring for an indoor herb garden!
3. Living Table
Source: Inhabitat
Add some life to a dead coffee table; you can convert an old table into a new and living one. Mind you, this practice can be a little too tasking for some. A little assistance from perhaps family or friends could help. This can even be an activity in a family gathering where even the kids get to participate. However, it only requires making a few modifications to the piece of furniture.
4. Pot Painting
Another great indoor gardening idea for you is pot painting. Changing the color of your pot(s) from the default clay brown will add a creative decorative touch to your garden. You can paint with any color of your choice, just put your creative mind to work and create a beautiful piece of artwork. This practice among decoration and other benefits, tests your creativity and lets you dig deep into your chest of imagination.
5. Cactus Garden
This beautiful plant is another item to add to your “ideas for indoor gardening” list. This particular plant, however, needs a lot more sunlight than water. Hence, the need for it to be in a position where it has access to adequate sunlight (adequate sunlight for cactus plant: twelve hours per day). Watering can even be less than once a week. It usually doesn’t need to be watered until you begin to notice dryness. The plant’s immense need for sunlight suggests it be placed close to windows (one with the highest sunlight access).
6. Hanging Garden
This is another very exciting activity for indoor gardening especially if you want to add more color to your green thumb. In addition to its decorative functions, this practice also makes indoor gardening possible in the absence of floor space. Inhabitants of assisted living facilities would naturally benefit more, as they usually have quite limited space. Various hanger options are available ranging from wooden wall hangers to hanging ropes that were made for this particular purpose. Now, you can grow your plants in suitable pots or jars, and hang them up.
7. The Spiller Garden
This involves the practice of growing more than one type of plant in one pot, and, as the name implies, in which one of them grows over and spills out. It basically involves growing three different types of plants. The first plant should be one that wouldn’t grow higher than the height of the pot, the second should grow twice as high as the container, and the third would be the main one that eventually spills over. The main idea is for the plant to spill over and spread out to its surroundings. Therefore, it should be noted that this plant will require an amount of space to flourish. Hanging can be a really good option.
8. Ingredients Garden
This is usually a special type of garden which contains the ingredients of a particular food. You can do this for any of your favorite foods, for example, pizza. Make a list of the ingredients, and begin work on those that you can plant indoors. Whenever you feel like making pizza, all you need do is get your ingredients from your indoor garden and head for the oven.
9. Terrariums
Ready-made or custom, it is always a great idea, although it might be much easier to get a ready-made than having to face troubles of making one yourself. Among the functions of terrariums is beautification. Hence, it’s addition can only bring satisfaction.
Benefits of Indoor Gardening for Seniors
There are many reasons you might want to get into indoor gardening, but here are just a few:
- Relieves stress
- Reduction in risk of dementia among other mental illnesses
- It enhances cognitive activity
- Medicinal herbs and vegetables that are beneficial to seniors are available in an edible garden.
Like in all other forms of planting, proper care and maintenance are the basis of a healthy indoor garden. Adequate sunlight and water should be applied according to requirements. This, in addition to a suitable environment, enables your plants to grow properly. Also, it is advisable to have the right equipment for each task. Make-shift pieces of equipment may cause the plants to have difficulties while growing.
Indoor gardening is already an exciting activity, but it can be made a whole lot better with the introduction of different ideas and sub-activities.