Garden and greenhouse owners need not give up their horticultural hobby as they get older, it has been claimed.
According to the Jackson Citizen Patriot, growers can prolong their life as a gardener by making changes to the way they operate, reducing their workload.
One key way to do this is by using containers, which can make things easier by raising plants higher from the ground and less difficult to reach for aging backs.
The newspaper spoke to Betty Lorenzi, a master gardener who has begun using containers for ease of upkeep.
"You won't have to be on your hands and knees. If you are limited in your ability to get up and down, using a higher container is a good choice," she explained.
Leoni Township master gardener Shirley Dowding added that container gardening is often safer for frailer adults as it is usually carried out on a solid surface such as a patio or decking.
The article also took a number of tips from Sydney Eddison's Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older.
According to the publication, it is wise to remember that there is no need to strive for perfection, as nature itself "does not clean up every dead leaf in fall".
Meanwhile, the News & Tribune has revealed how members of the Sunnyside Master Gardeners Association of Southern Indiana recently gave local youngsters some garden and greenhouse tips.