flower children
An enjoyment of the natural world is one of the best and easiest things for a family to share. Try any of these six simple projects to get your kids out into the garden and growing stuff
1 Nasturtiums Big, easy-to-sow seeds and bright, fragrant flowers make these cheerful annuals a winner. Germination is quick, flowers are a delight to pick (and eat) and the round leaves, with their central drop of crystal after rain or watering, are a source of wonder. The climbing varieties are probably the most fun.
2 Runner beans Jack and the Beanstalk makes them a must-do. Lovely big seeds, dramatic germination, twirly stems going up and up, flowers – and beans for the whole family. Plant the beans around a wigwam of tall bamboo, which will also make a neat hidey-hole for the little ones. It’s a good idea to germinate a few beans in damp cotton wool at the same time as planting in the soil to show what’s happening underground. 3 Herbs in pots Get together some old terracotta or new plastic pots, bright paint and brushes and help the children to decorate them. Buy a few seedling trays of herbs and flowers for them to plant. Get them to fill the pots from a wheelbarrow of potting mix, which they can also help you to make. One-third compost, one-third potting soil, one-third river sand is a good mix. (Paris Garden makes it extra easy for parents with complete herb-planting kits and tools for kids; visit parisgarden.co.za.) 4 Strawberry Sunday Pretty and delicious in a traditional terracotta strawberry pot or one of the new plastic stacking-pot systems (visit growingstacks.co.za). June is a good month to plant them, too. 5 Water babies This is especially good if you don’t have a garden. All kinds of things can be grown in water: hyacinth bulbs, sweet potatoes (which produce a lovely twining trail of green), coleus, ivy, dracaena, mint, plectranthus and avocado pips to make a fascinating windowsill garden. Take healthy cuttings and trim stems to just below a leaf node. Use rainwater if you can and set up a few things in glass so that kids can watch which is the first to put out roots. A weak foliar spray is best to feed them. Remember to top up the water and change it about once a month. Larger cuttings or bulbs can be supported with pebbles. Nearly all can be planted in pots when well rooted – and then you can start all over again.