All three of my living grandparents are well into their 80s. In fact, my grandfather will pass the 90 milestone in a couple of weeks. One activity they all have in common is that they all love to garden. They have long since given up on water skiing, hang gliding and even golfing, but gardening has remained a passion through the years.

Having a green thumb can ease the aging process. Gardening can reduce mental decline, boost fitness and keep bones healthy. According to BUPA, a global health and care organization, gardening may actually protect the mind from developing Alzheimer’s disease by “using it” rather than “losing it.” The agency’s studies have shown that people who have active interests, such as gardening and traveling, are more likely to age gracefully than those who engage in passive activities like watching TV.

Wanda Farr passes by a blooming cleome in her flower garden at her home at 2750 Chipperfield Drive. Studies show that gardening helps the elderly maintain their mental and physical health.

It makes sense, after all. Gardening requires planning, foresight and flexibility, as well as experimentation and investigation into the unknown and hopefulness and enthusiasm for the future – all of which adds up to mental acuity. Most fitness experts recommend that we all get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day because it is proven to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improve mood, decrease stress and aid in preventing diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

And gardening is a form of exercise that many older people have adapted into their everyday routines.

Three Lawrence women sat down with me to discuss what they find so appealing about gardening in their later years. Della Hadley and Wanda Farr are both widows who live in the Chipperfield community, which is designed for people 55 and older. The association takes care of mowing chores, but each garden that frames these modest homes is designed and kept up by the homeowner.

Della Hadley, 76, likes to grow plants she can eat. “One of my favorite aspects of gardening is harvesting and eating what I’ve grown,” she says. “Gardening is so relaxing. It makes you think ahead and plan; it makes you patient as you wait for things to bloom; and it is just a peaceful way for time to pass.”

Della Hadley maintains a basement with dozens of African violets and is a member of the Lawrence African Violet Club. Through the years, Hadley has won several awards for her flowers.

Della also cultivates some award-winning blooms; she maintains a basement with dozens of African violets and is a member of the Lawrence African Violet Club. Through the years, she has won several honors for her flowers.

Keeping active

Both Hadley and Farr grew up on farms, which helped instill a love of flora and an understanding that gardening is hard work and good exercise.

“If you just sit down and don’t do anything, you will deteriorate in a hurry and soon you will start to mildew,” says Farr, 79. “I feel best when I’ve worked hard and feel tired after digging in the dirt.”

Hadley adds, “I don’t want to go to a gym and exercise. I want to go out in my garden and get satisfaction and exercise there.”

While Hadley and Farr understand the physical benefits gardening adds to their lives, they also appreciate the inherent mental workout.

“I love to exchange plants with people,” Hadley says. “I look at them and I think of times and places and people – it is a lot like flipping through a photo album. I get sentimental about many of my plants.”

A spiritual aspect

Bernice Kennedy also grew up on a farm and has appreciated plants her entire life. She and her husband, Bernard, are celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary this year in their quaint ranch house in west Lawrence, where they still live independently. Kennedy’s love of gardening blossomed while watching her mother.

Wanda Farr waters flowers and plants at her home in the Chipperfield community, which is designed for people 55 and older. Farr doesn't have to mow her yard, but she tends to her own garden.

“Gardening has always been in my blood,” says Kennedy, 80. “Looking back, I wish I’d asked my mother more questions about her garden. I can’t do that now.”

But by tending to her garden, Kennedy feels complete.

“I think you are closer to God in the garden than at any other time in your life,” she says. “I look at some flowers and plants, and there I am – on my knees in prayer mode.”

Many benefits

Della Hadley maintains dozens of African violets in her basement at her home, and she also likes to grown plants that she can add to meals.

Gardening helps maintain skills we all should continue to hone as we age. Kennedy agrees.

“Gardening not only helps with aging, but it works off emotional stress,” she says. “It aids in your mental capacity when you are trying to remember plant names and the conditions that they favor.”

When one of Bernice Kennedy’s 13 great-grandchildren asks her a question about age, she responds, “I don’t know. I’ve never gotten this far. I’m learning as I go.”

We all age. The trick is to find activities that keep us active and interested, and gardening fills that bill for many aging people. The process of birth, life and death plays out every day in the garden, and like our flowers, all we need is a little water, food and a splash of sun to thrive.