As a child, I loved to visit my aunt. She had fruit trees, a large herb and vegetable garden, and wonderful flowers. Her house was always aflutter. It was easy to see how she loved the out-of-doors.
As she is elderly now and confined to a wheelchair, she can only reminisce about her garden. She is restricted to the few houseplants on her television set and small stand in her dining room. A greenhouse is only a dream because she lives alone, and caring for a greenhouse would be a risky business for someone who is ninety years old.
I just couldn't stop thinking about how empty her life had become. I could hear the sadness in her voice when she would recall her flower beds and herb garden. Then one day I thought of installing window boxes at wheelchair height on the INSIDE of her windows-boxes that could hold ample water and plants, boxes that could be compartmentalized, boxes that could grow herbs or bonsai plants or could serve for forcing bulbs.
So if you know an elderly person who is missing out on their gardening experiences, make their life a little happier with an INSIDE-OUT WINDOW BOX project. And don't forget to tie plant snips and small watering cans onto the side of the box so they won't drop to the floor.
Susan Boyer, Smith County Master Gardener
Texas Cooperative Extension
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