Gardening and Horticulture
Gardening is a satisfying way to connect with the out-of-doors, relax, and grow herbs, vegetables, and flowers for the home. Gardeners who are blind or visually impaired will find horticultural advice, encouragement, and a wealth of practical tips for enjoying this popular hobby.
Below is a list of topics you'll find in this section. Click on a title to jump to a specific topic.
Gardening Tips and Techniques
Accessible Gardening Environments: For Blind or Visually Impaired Gardeners
Infinitec
Techniques for gardeners who are blind or visually impaired.
Adaptive Gardening Techniques for the Visually Impaired
Oregon State University Extension Service
Methods and techniques that make gardening simpler for those with a visual impairment. Topics include design, seedlings, tools, and maintenance. (PDF only)
Blind Seniors Garden Too
Braille Monitor, 49(2), (2006) National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
Pat Munson shares her experiences as gardener who is blind.
Gardening for Blind or Partially Sighted People
Thrive
Thrive has worked for over 30 years with gardeners who are visually impaired. They offer tried-and-trusted techniques for gardening with blindness or low vision.
Gardening for the Blind: Tips for People with Impaired Vision
Purdue Extension Services
Practical tips for planning and maintaining a garden.
Gardening for Life: A Guide to Garden Adaptations for Gardeners of All Ages and Abilities
Washington State University Master Gardeners, Spokane County
This 96-page publication has sections on design, safety, garden warm-up exercises, adaptive tools and devices, strategies for the visually impaired, and additional resources. Available for purchase from WSU.
Gardening Tips
Kent Association for the Blind
Gardeners who are blind or visually impaired share tips for getting around in the garden, weeding, hoeing, watering, feeding, and caring for seeds and seedlings.
Gardening Tips If You are Blind or Have Low Vision
VisionAware
Suggestions for mulching, marking rows, plant selection, and more.
Seeing with Other Senses: Gardens for the Blind
Herb Companion
JoAnn Gardner describes the benefits of gardening: connecting with nature, relaxation, and the satisfaction of growing food and herbs
The Visually Impaired Gardener
Garden Fountains.com
Suggestions for designing a garden, choosing and arranging plants, and on-going maintenance tips.
Container Gardening
Accessible Container Gardening
The Accessible Friends Network
Sue Pallett, a British gardener who is blind, shares tips on container gardening, including planning and design, planting, and feeding.
Container Gardening
Hadley School for the Blind
This online course covers planning, establishing, and caring for a container garden.
Gardening After Vision Loss: Tips From an Experienced Blind Gardener
VisionAware
Detailed information on container gardening, including labeling tips and selection of soil and containers; includes a list of plants that grow well in containers.
Fragrance and Sensory Gardens
Gardening for the Senses/The Sensual Garden
Purdue Extension Services
Gardening suggestions and list of plants that appeal to taste, smell, touch, and hearing.
An Exploratory Study of Sensory Gardens
Fandango Design
A comparison study of 14 sensory gardens in the UK, with analysis by landscape architect Hazreena Hussein.
