Fun, family garden
With five kids running around, aged 9 months to 11 years, I can safely say that the garden is the most important space in our home.
As well as providing a playground and space for adventure, it can also be enjoyed by the entire family if designed and created correctly.
While I can’t give away too much of my ambitious plans quite yet, here are my top tips on how to create a garden the whole family can enjoy.
Fun
This is the most important aspect to my own garden.
At the Mackay household, we have a skate ramp out the back and a sandpit where the younger kids spend time creating sand cakes while the older siblings make magnificent structures. Out the front, they can climb rock climbing holds and use the swings we attached to the pergola.
The fun doesn’t only have to be for the children though. The positioning of the swings means they are multifunctional and can also be used as seating.
For outdoor fun all year round, we placed artificial turf under the pergola to create an extension of the lounge.
Arrangement
Any garden catering for a family should be a big open space. Any objects such as trampolines, sandpits or jungle gyms, as well as plantings, are better placed around the boundaries, leaving space for a clear lawn.
When you put these things in the middle, you ultimately cut the space in half and can’t use your garden to its full potential. Plus, it means that once the children have grown up and have no use for their garden toys any more, you still have your garden.
Outdoor dining
Create a dedicated area where your family and friends can come together – and don’t forget to include a decent barbecue
Upcycling can also be a fantastic way of creating a fun dining space.
Don’t be afraid to pop out to the local thrift shop or look for secondhand items online. Wooden beams, mismatched chairs or a giant wooden slab can be reinvented to create your own unique dining setting.
Edible garden
One of the most popular features I am asked for is a vegetable plot.
While it is easy to ‘‘throw in’’ a vegetable garden, it’s important to create it in a way that kids can get involved in growing their own vegetables and herbs.
Try a raised bed (around 200-450mm off the ground) and put large capping surrounding the bed so that the kids can sit along the side or lie on their bellies to reach in and get to the plants. This can also be used as additional outdoor seating.
Encourage the kids to do the planting, weeding and watering. When they see their vegetables grow, the excitement then spills into being able to eat them.
Trampolines, sandpits or jungle gyms are better placed around the boundaries, leaving space for a clear lawn.
Planting
The first thing to do is to eradicate any nasty weeds and check that there are no plants that might cause allergies for your family.
Planting deciduous trees is always a good choice as they let sun in during the winter and offer shade in summer. A sunprotected spot is something the whole family will appreciate during the hotter months.
Fruit trees also make a fantastic addition and, like the vegetable gardens, will hopefully inspire the kids to get in their 5+ a day. If you have limited space, you could espalier the fruit trees and still get plenty of fruit.
For families my main motto is to remember that the garden should be about fun, because worn out kids are usually happy kids.
You can see Dan’s family-friendly garden exhibit come to life at this year’s New Zealand Flower & Garden Show at Auckland’s The Trusts Arena, from November 28-December 2.