Container gardening is an increasingly popular form of creative gardening, especially for those dwelling in rentals or homeowners with limited land.

“Planting a container garden is much like creating a floral arrangement. However, live plants are enjoyed for a whole season. Almost any plant grows in a container when proper conditions are provided and adds a versatile splash of color and art wherever desired,” Kerry Smith with the Auburn Extension said in “Container Gardening.”

There are many reasons why people may choose to garden in containers rather than “traditional” garden beds, including the aforementioned leasing terms and space availability. Other reasons may be limited mobility (raised beds come in handy for this), unsuitable soil conditions in your yard, and unsuitable light conditions.

Some gardeners just love the ability to get creative with their container.

“These are just some of the advantages with container gardening. The biggest disadvantages to growing plants in containers are the maintenance requirements of watering and fertilizing,” Smith said. “Some helpful techniques, including choosing containers and growing media (potting mix), selecting plants, and planting, fertilizing, and watering your container garden, are discussed in this publication.”

The purpose of this article is to focus on container gardening with mobility in mind.

Many people retire after decades of working and find themselves wondering, “what now?” Suddenly, they have more free time than they’ve ever had, and they are unclear about what to do with their newfound freedom.

Many people turn to gardening as a way to spend their time and to keep their bodies and brains active during retirement. For a lot of seniors, though, they eventually find themselves struggling to get around as well, or to do the things they used to be able to do.

A decline in mobility does not mean a person has to give up moderately physical hobbies, such as gardening, though; it simply means they will have to adapt their practices to suit their changing mobility needs.

While the first step is choosing beds and planters suitable for any given mobility need, choosing proper plants is equally important.

Certain plants require more care and activity than others, and care requirements should be considered when seeking out plants to tend to.

Plants with the lowest support needs will be best for individuals who do not have the mobility they used to.

Mobility and support needs vary from individual to individual, as well as resources and available space. While some may have the ability to create raised beds and deck planters, others may be limited to using what resources they have on hand.

One resource often easily available is large buckets and raised surfaces, such as side tables.

Wayne Holt, 77, of Athens, created flower beds from discarded sewer pipes. These planters raise the plants almost two feet off the ground, allowing for less bending and kneeling.

Holt also created a raised flower bed that keeps the flowers at approximately waist height, allowing for significantly less bending and kneeling when tending to the flowers planted in the bed.

Simple and creative changes in practice like this go a long way to allowing gardens to be more accommodating of mobility needs, present or future.

“Be creative when choosing a container. Selecting a container that fits the look you wish to create is half the fun of container gardening,” Smith said. “Containers can be window boxes (wooden or plastic), wooden wine crates, tires, bags of potting soil, or your favorite old boot!”