HOW TO cHOOSE SAFE MATERIALS

First on the list when planning a family-focused garden is making sure boundaries are secure and that any garden gates are lockable so it’s a safe place to play. Check fences and make sure they are in good order. If you need to change or replace fencing, there are many options that can be more attractive than simple larch lap. Have a look at feathered oak board fencing and, if budget allows, sections of ready-grown hedging which come thick and full of growth and can be purchased up to 2m in height.

Materials are always the most expensive consideration with a new garden; again, the added challenge for child-friendly spaces is making sure it is safe. While we can’t mitigate against every fall, ➤

Easy to grow fruit trees and herbs that offer rich scents give you the opportunity to grow things that you can use to cook with your children. Some of my ‘must-haves’ include a good apple tree, especially heritage varieties that will offer a taste you can’t get in the supermarket, as well as raspberries and blueberries in pots. Herbs such as rosemary, lavender and mint are all very obliging, happily picked and rewarding with scent, which means they will be great for cooking.

Children also love bright flowers so don’t be afraid to have borders with good durable perennials such as rubeckia, salvia, hardy geraniums and tall verbenas. These all flower for many weeks and will happily be picked to produce more flower.

Your family garden will change and develop over the course of, say, 10 years, so you will need to be prepared for football, climbing and good-spirited chaos along the way. Keep all this in mind when designing, and select materials that will make change and adaptation easy for you to implement.