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Tips for Gardening with Low Vision

Yellow taped garden hand fork being used on white flowers. A blue taped hand trowel is on the ground.

Whether you have a green thumb or hoping to develop one, deteriorating vision doesn’t have to stop you. Here are 6 tips to help you get back in the garden:

  1. Wrap garden tool handles with bright colored tape, to make them easier to see in the grass.
  2. If you have raised garden beds: glue pool noodles, sliced lengthwise to the corners to protect yourself from sharp edges.
  3. Place distinctive plants in different areas and use your sense of smell to orient yourself around the garden. For example: citronella plants in your herb garden, or lavender in your butterfly garden.
  4. Fountains, wind chimes, or other accessories can also be used as landmarks around the garden.
  5. Smartphone apps like WayAround, Be My Eyes and Aira can be helpful to identify plants.
  6. Ask for help. Join Hadley Growers, a monthly discussion group, to hear from gardeners of all levels. The National Library Service (NLS) also has a variety of gardening books free to access.

If you’re just starting out, or are limited in space, container gardening may be the way to go. We have a few tips to get you started in our Container Gardening workshop series.