Gardening Ideas to Involve the Kids/Grandkids

Okay---here's a new topic. Tell me your ideas, (past, present, or future) of how you involved your kids/grandkids/neighbor's kids with the garden. The pic I've attached is a new garden I created today with my oldest son (age 6). It's our Fairy Forest Garden. I ordered the fairy village from Plow and Hearth. Today, we shopped for a variety of ultra dwarf coniferous trees and shrubs, and a bunch of cool groundcovers. I can't wait to see how all of this fills in over the years. We put in quite a few interesting things. It was so much fun, and the kids love it. The path makes it accessible for them to play with it, and avoid trampling the plants. One negative, it was an expensive endeavor (some of the really unusual dwarf things were as much as $13.99 a piece, ouch), but worth it. My son did most of the planting and designing himself.

Close up of castle area.

Close up of the cottage area.

I do Fairy Gardens with my grandchildren. Here is a link to some good ideas. ..

http://www.garden-share.com/group/fairyandminiaturegardens?xg_source=activity.

There is also a group here at Daves "Tiny Gardens".

Love this but it really is addicting. I love what you have done, Patti

Oh, Patti! That is so cool! I had no idea there was a fairy garden sub-culture! I saw the items in the catalog, so I wanted to do one. I love the fairy garden movement! It is a lot of fun. I need to work on adding some moss and stumps! I would love to have some "fairy orchids" growing there, too (a NW native orchid that blooms in spring/early summer----I've only seen it up on the mountain in the willd).

I didn't know it either. I saw the doors in the plow and hearth catalog and liked the idea because my property has many stumps in the wooded area that would be too much trouble to remove. We have been having a complete Fairy Frenzie at my house. After starting my fairy gardens I googled them and learned it had quite a following. I started the group on Garden Share a year ago and this year it has really taken off. Keep me updated on your progress.

Very fun fairy stuff. The eyes in the trees are always fun for youngsters as well.

My young sons planted their names in leaf lettuce when they were quite young, which was a big hit.

We also planted a bean teepee one time in the middle of the corn. Made for a good hideout.

If you are near a community fair in the summer, let them pack some jars for canning and enter them. Or just pick and enter fruits/veggies/flowers. Nothing like a ribbon to make a youngster proud.

We have the 'face in the tree' We call it Mr. Tree and they talk to him and move his face parts around like Mr. Potato Head.

Also have an attempt at a teepee. There is a honeysuckle climbing and a climbing hydrangea on it. I need to add some more honeysuckle I think.