Garden for Life

From award-winning writer and photographer Rhonda Fleming Hayes comes the perfect guide to help you evaluate, redesign, and right-size your garden space as you age—to make gardening easier, more sustainable, and perennially fun! In Garden for Life, Rhonda Fleming Hayes brings a lifetime of gardening experience, research-based advice, and collective wisdom to older gardeners who are looking for inspiration and practical strategies. This delightful comprehensive guide presents new techniques and tools to make gardening less strenuous, and highlights plants that "multitask" to make a garden more sustainable—for both the gardener and the environment. It also advises on how and when to ask for help to lighten the load so we can focus on the life-enhancing aspects of spending time in the garden. Garden for Life reminds us that gardening is a simple way to answer the human need to connect with nature, a craving called biophilia, while highlighting its many proven health benefits. Gardening offers a low-intensity workout with a variety of natural movements, provides a sense of purpose while nurturing a meditative state that decreases stress, fosters improved nutrition and better brain health, and grows social connection and community. In short, gardening is excellent for health and longevity! "I love the message of Garden for Life because it’s not about doing less and giving up what we love. It’s about gardening smarter."—Joe Lamp'l