Creating A Lush and Welcoming Landscape

When you have older persons living in your home, you want to create a safe and enjoyable environment for them. Many homeowners focus on the safety of the house's interior, but what about the yard? Here are five ways you can make your landscape safer for everyone.

Light It Up. Landscape lighting is both functional and aesthetic. First and foremost, it should help create a safe place for people to walk in the early morning and late evening hours. Create a landscape lighting plan that includes a variety of overhead lights, pathway lighting, motion sensors, and wrapped lights for columns or railings. You may even want to use fluorescent paint that is invisible by day but colorful at night. 

Highlight Pathways. Pathways provide direction and even ground for walking both in the daytime and at night. Make pathways level or use only gentle rises where the ground changes elevation. Use easy-to-see materials like light-colored pea gravel that stands out in all weather. Revisit walkways each season to ensure that they're smooth and solid.

Reinforce Railings. You should have plenty of places for older ones or those with limited mobility to hold on for support. Make sure railings around the deck or patio as well as all stairs are solid and don't wiggle. You may even want to add railings where they may not be mandatory, such as on decks with only one or two stairs. Install convenient grips or railings in other places that your family member frequents. 

Add Rest. If someone may become tired while working in the yard or playing with your kids, install places to sit and enjoy a rest break. This could be a simple bench alongside a walkway or it might be a destination with table and chairs in the center of the yard. The more options you offer, the more an older person may be tempted to fully explore the landscape.

Raise Things Up. If your older loved one likes to garden, they may find it difficult to do so as their body ages. Solve this problem by building raised garden beds. Choose from various heights to provide either a comfortable seated position for tending a garden or even a standing one. Consider raising other aspects of the yard — such as by using hanging pots — to a more comfortable height. .

No matter what adjustments you need to make, the reward will be the happiness of enjoying your yard together with your entire family — of all ages.