Family Gardens
A kid-friendly garden doesn’t have to be mud and mayhem, says Adrienne Wild
Older houses tend to have larger gardens, so are the perfect choice for a family home. But you won’t enjoy the garden if you’re constantly worried whether your greenfingered wizardry will survive the rough and tumble of children’s games and damage by the family pet.
The aim should be to create a garden that both you and your children love, which might mean you having to adjust your vision of what makes a perfect garden and be prepared to give it a rethink every few years, when your needs change.
The most practical design for a young family is one with an uncluttered, large expanse of grass at its hub. This will prevent toddlers getting hurt when they fall over and will provide space for energetic kids to run around, kick a football and enjoy the fun of play without doing too much damage.
Chasing games can of course lead to problems as children excitedly run around and through your borders playing hide and seek. Apart from tidying bushes and cutting back straying branches in an attempt to keep them safe, you might be wise to ‘strengthen’ the borders with tough, indestructible plants such as Mock orange or Philadelphus, Euonymus Emerald ‘n’ Gold, Weigela and Viburnum as well as ornamental grasses, which all recover well after being trampled on.
Fill flowerbeds with fastgrowing, hardy annuals that are replaced every year to provide plenty of summer flowers like daisies and primary-coloured blooms, which children love. Check too that the plants you are growing are not toxic or have sharp thorns and prickles, which are equally hazardous.
To cater for older children, and especially ones that are developing their sense of adventure, consider turning a quiet corner into a wild zone, where they can explore and discover wildlife, climb trees and even build a den for ‘gang’ meetings.
Make all paths around the garden smooth and wide so that they can double up as a racetrack for trikes and toys or become the perfect spot for a game of hopscotch. Gravel is never a good choice, as it often gets thrown about by toddlers and is not only useless for riding bikes, but also hurts when you fall on it. Even when building a patio for the pleasure of sitting and entertaining, if there are kids about, it’s best to stick to paving or decking.
When designing a family garden, safety should always be your primary focus. Patio pots, for example, must always be stable as large heavy ones can kill if pulled over. Even a deep puddle or pond in a large pot could pose a danger, especially to inquisitive toddlers. And support canes in a border can not only give a nasty poke in the eye but are also likely be pulled out and used as wizard wands or pirate swords!
Finally, remember gardening is an activity that all the family can enjoy, so nurture those little green fingers by getting them involved in growing and caring for plants and you’ll have gone a long way to giving them happy memories and a magical hobby.