As well as tidying up the garden ready for winter you can still sow and plant in the autumn. A spot of gardening with the kids is an ideal activity for a warm autumn afternoon. Late autumn is, in fact, the best time to plant shrubs and trees, including fruit trees. Some of the vegetables […]
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A Toddler High Garden
This week I have tried a little experiment. When I am asked by people how to create a children’s garden I often say to look at it from a child’s perspective and if they have very young children think about placing items of interest at toddler height. When my 8 year old was tiny he […]
What to Plant with your Kids in July
There is still time to sow and plant vegetables in July and see them harvested either before the end of the summer holidays or by late autumn. The good thing about growing this time of year is that you can sow directly into outside pots or the ground. No need to worry about sowing indoors […]
Community Garden at Dean City Farm
This week we had an invite to visit Dean City Farm just South of Wimbledon. I was slightly uncertain whether it would hold enough interest for my 8 yr old. However my friend knows me well. ‘ They also have a community garden’ she says dangling a large carrot before me and knowing that I […]
Enchanted Woodland: A Garden At Night
What a treat. A night time walk in an enchanted garden, full of light, shadow, glimpses of majestic trees and other delights. I couldn’t think of anything that could be more charming. After dressing for the Arctic, we were stuck in London Friday night traffic for 50 minutes on our way there and my 7 […]
Floral Friday – Michaelmas Daisy – Family Friendly Plants
Bee on Aster A good late summer performer for the garden is the Aster or Michaelmas Daisy. So called because it has daisy-like flowers from pink, purple to blue and it flowers at the time of Michaelmas, on 29 September when in parts of Europe remember Archangel Michael. Its reliability and hardiness help to make […]
Floral Friday – Aquilegia – Family Friendly Plants
Aquilegia If you know this flower, other names for it are Columbine and Grandma Bonnets; you may be saying what so family friendly about it? It is a cottage garden plant with thin stems holding up the very pretty flower heads which could easily get knocked by a ball or trampled upon. I say yes […]
Nasturtiums – What to Plant with your Kids
If you are not too sure what flowers to plant with your kids this is a good one to get going with. It is an easy- grow annual. This plant’s family friendly features include:- Large seeds which are easy to sow. 8 Weeks from seed to flower. Short waiting time – Very child friendly! It […]
What to do with all those Leaves in the Garden
Making Leaf Mould We have been making leaf mould in our garden and have done so for the last couple of years. It is an easy gardening activity for children; one that gets them into the garden in the autumn. Leaf mould is organic and involves no carbon footprint. It is simply a case of […]
Gardens to Visit with Your Children in October
The Eden Project Cornwall Thousands of families will currently be thinking about where to go in the autumn half term holiday with their kids. If you live in London, the South East or Scotland there are some great ideas on garden destinations. The winter garden at Hillier’s garden in Hampshire will be looking particularly […]
Dens and Mazes
Top of the list of children’s favourite things to do in a garden has got to be building dens and running around a maze. We visited Wisley in Surrey this week and found both of these. The children’s play area has been upgraded to include a fantastic den building area. A great way […]
10 Reasons to get out into the Garden
The weather is picking up and the daylight is here for longer so it is now time to spend those hours in the garden. To motivate myself and my family to move from the sofa, through the french doors, to the garden I have been listing the benefits of outdoor play for all of us. […]
In 2 play in the Garden
As a family this weekend we were very much indoors. However I am pleased to say that we fitted in some garden-related activities. All of us joined in the RSPBs Garden Bird Watch. There has been lots to press recently about how quite rare birds are visiting and depending on food from peoples’ gardens. We […]
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