After Terry Garrett witnessed his sick brother lose the ability to continue his favorite hobby of gardening, he decided to make it his goal to ensure that disabled people were still able to partake in the activity no matter if they are confined to a wheelchair.

Terry Garrett is the creator of the Elevated Garden, which is a tabletop garden that has been designed specifically for people in wheelchairs. He came up with this idea after his brother was diagnosed with Stage IV chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“He loved gardening but could no longer handle the physical demands of traditional gardening,” said Garrett, a veteran of the military. “I designed and built my first elevated garden… and by the end of the year, my brother was taking care of 40 units and growing all his produce for the winter.”

“I saw how it benefited him with an improvement in his quality of life, and an increased sense of self worth and accomplishment,” he continued. “This spurred me on to developing, patenting, and trade-marking what we are currently manufacturing and marketing.”

The gardens stand at 30 inches tall and have become extremely popular in nursing homes and assisted living facilities because they limit the amount of bending and physical activity that is typically required by traditional gardening. Garrett’s company T&L Group manufactures the Elevated Garden in Tennessee, building them on wheels so they can be used indoors through all seasons.

Garrett, who was recently dubbed a “Horticultural Hero” for his design, would now like to make handicap-accessible gardening tools so his company can continue to uplift disabled and geriatric patients who want to keep gardening.