The Child’s Garden

We only have them with us for a time….why not indulge the spirit and senses of your little ones with a “Children’s Play Garden”? Children learn through their senses- all of them can be aroused and explored in the garden. Doing nothing is not a waste of time; its’ an opportunity to expand ones imagination and senses. Instead of buying a Playstation how about creating the ultimate Play Station in your yard? Why not try some of these ideas?

• A sandbox play area surrounded by large and small boulders. Children love to crawl over boulders, jumping off them into the sand. Boulders also provide interesting grain and texture, some even sparkling in the sunlight.

• Paths that go up and down, through pint-sized arbors and over bridges and past places to hide out. Building things that fit a child’s dimensions makes them feel special.

• Plants that fill up all the senses, texture, color, fragrance. Some will also attract wildlife like birds and butterflies; others will have interesting fruit or flowers. Here are some- Miscanthus Ornamental grass, Stachys byzantina –lambs ears, pussy willow, Morning glory, Buddleia davidii- butterfly bush to name a few.

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• A grass hill mounded is fun just to roll down, run down or cartwheel down.

• A water feature is one of the most engaging and interactive additions to the child’s play area. Our newer pondless waterfalls and streams provide benefits without the hassle and potential dangers of deeper ponds, while attracting hoards of birds’ frogs’ dragonflies and even fish spontaneously appear throughout the years. Using flat stepping stones down the middle of the stream can provide ample opportunity for little tykes to ‘accidentally’ fall in and get wet.

• A secret hideaway can be made by planting a weeping tree such as Weeping Mulberry then placing child size tables and chairs underneath. Or perhaps planting taller ornamental grasses at four corners and the diagonally tying the tops together to form a ‘roof’. Giving children their own private spaces. Yet not so out of sight that they are hidden from parents’ watchful eyes.

• The local pipe supplier can be contacted for ‘sections’ of 36”-42” concrete CRP pipe that can be covered with soil and then naturalized with boulders to form excellent ‘caves’ and ‘tunnels’.

• What about taste? That’s an important sense also; helping a child to plant a pizza garden with tomatoes, oregano, basil, onions and peppers helps them to appreciate what it takes to make the food they are eating.

• Dense plantings can form a dense jungle tunnel that beckons to be ‘explored’. These can also be used to screen out undesirable characteristics of your yard or neighboring yards.

• Many homeowners have a deck attached to their home- why not give your little ones their own deck with child-size table and chairs so that they can ‘entertain’ their guests while you do.

• Mazes can be amazing! Why not use ornamental grasses to create a maze for children and visitors to get ‘lost’ in. Plants should be high enough to beckon a sense of adventure but not so tall and dense that the little one would become besieged with fear. A garden offers all the raw materials to make a child’s senses soar- why not start today?

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