Physical therapy through gardening

After my accident, over a decade ago (please don't ask), I was concerned about the garden. Back in those days, I had real grass (not the artificial turf that I have now) so kind friends came over to mow several times. But as for the rest of the garden, that was up to me. It became the best physical therapy that I've ever done, and continues to be.

Yes, I continue to do my exercises at the gym. But the garden is the place where I do the more important stuff, like stretching, bending, reaching. And I don't mean on a yoga mat! I mean caring for the garden.

The plants that you see here, which are cycads, don't require much maintenance. They only grow once a year, and require trimming only when the fronds get ratty, which isn't often. They are on an automatic watering system. Sprinkled around them are smaller plants, which require care usually only in the spring, fall, and winter. In summer here in the Phoenix area, you really don't want to have a *high maintenance* garden.

This is a small garden for *fussing over*. I wander around, trimming something here, picking up something there. And each time, I am doing the movements as taught by my physical therapists. Bend at the knees, that sort of thing.

By the way, if you're going through physical therapy, or recovering from injury, here is what I have learned in the past few years. But mostly I recommend having a garden.