Gardening lessons at home in Bloomfield, NJ

Small yards, pots and front steps

A lot of the gardening that happens in Bloomfield is container gardening, and that's a good thing for older gardeners. Pots can be raised to a comfortable height, moved into the sun, and planted with herbs, peppers or flowers that are easy to reach from a chair.

If there's a patch of yard, a gardener might suggest a raised bed at sitting height. That's usually a one-time project to build or set up, and then the weekly visits become planting, watering, pinching off dead blooms and deciding what to try next.

Front step gardens also get noticed. Neighbors walking past stop to ask what's blooming, and on a block of two-family houses that kind of conversation is half the fun of having pots out front.

Learning from what grows nearby

The pollinator garden by the Overlook in Brookdale Park was planted in 2018 and is a good place to see which native plants bring bees and butterflies in this part of Essex County. Seeing a plant growing well a mile away makes it easier to pick for your own pots.

Oakeside, the township's cultural center on Belleville Avenue, has grounds worth a walk too, and the township lists gardening among the kinds of programs it runs there. It's a nice outing to pair with what your parent is doing at home.

Seasons and indoor plants

Gardening doesn't have to stop in November. Over the winter, visits can shift to houseplants, starting seeds on a sunny sill in February, or planning the spring pots. In fall, it's bulbs and cutting things back. The gardener will suggest what makes sense for the month.

For a parent who loved a big garden and has moved somewhere smaller, a few well-chosen houseplants can be a real comfort. A gardener can repot them, explain watering, and come back to see how they're doing.

Booking

Gardeners set their own rate between $50 and $150 an hour. A 1.5 or 2 hour visit is common in spring when there's planting to do, and an hour is plenty the rest of the year. Book four weeks at a time through the growing season, or every week until you cancel. A short note after each visit lets the family know what got planted.

If you're booking for a parent who lives in Bloomfield while you live farther away, the gardener's note tells you what went in the ground that week. It's a nice thing to ask about on the phone later.