Garden Centre

Monday, September 3, 2007

Never act (or garden) with children or animals ...

I’m about to be visited by a young person – an extremely young person. Sort of between the sitting down and dribbling stage and the stomping around and eating worms stage, which made me think about setting up a special area for him, while he’s here.

Children are often happier having their own area of a patio garden because otherwise you end up yelling at them every minute of the day, either to stay away from things you think are precious or to stay away from things that are dangerous to the, like poisonous berries, ponds, and so on.

Forward panning helps!. A sand pit, water area, swing or Wendy house can be planned, to give them a sense of a secret adventure place of their own, but remember that any water feature – whether specifically designed for them or for adult use – should be visible from the house and/or securely netted to avoid a child falling in. Remember, anybody can drown in five inches of water, drunken visiting rugby players (you know who you are!) take note. Wendy houses can be hideously expensive, but this lovely log cabin is a standard shed, cunningly adapted by a gifted dad!

Your garden may be so small that you feel this kind of planning isn’t possible, but usually imaginative solutions can be found. A pergola planted with pretty annual climbers can also be the home of a child’s swing, as long as the wood of the pergola is strong enough and is securely set into concrete foundations.

A collapsible paddling pool can be set up on any area of grass or paving and stored out of sight when not in use – and happy little waterers can be encouraged to use the pool to water thirsty plants, saving you a job!

Labels: garden design, garden planning, garden ponds, garden shed

The All Seasons Gardener at 3:28 AM

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