Get the kids involved in the garden

A digging patch

Gardening with kids is fun activity for all! Kids love to dig, play in the mud and create little imaginary gardens in the soil with sticks, stones, leaves and friendly flower faces (like daisies and hibiscus) which they are allowed to pick from the garden. Get them to help you dig, plant, sow and get involved. A sandpit filled with all kinds of plastic toys is of course an option, but they will have much more fun if allowed to get really dirty and muddy in ordinary garden soil, close to where you are digging and planting yourself. Remember kids love to ‘help’ you in the garden, but soon do their own thing.

Wish list stuff for gardening with kids

Kid-sized gardening tools, small wheelbarrows, bright watering cans and pint-sized garden focal points, hobbit houses and even dainty little artificial plants to build fairy gardens. Big GCA garden centres stock a wide range of kiddie’s tools and ornaments for miniature landscaped gardens.

Time to plant your bulbs

Put the kids to work and play with you in the backyard. The weirdest looking corms and dried out little bulbs will burst forth into the most beautiful spring flowers on earth, and for very little effort too!

Hot tips on bulb planting

● Spring-flowering bulbs need to be cool, don’t plant them next to hard landscaping like driveways or paved pathways.
● Avoid north-facing walls and if planted in containers, keep them in morning sun and afternoon shade.
● Plant all spring-flowering bulbs with the pointed side up (except anemones, which should be planted with the pointed side down). Bulbs with fingers or claws, like ranunculi, should be planted with the fingers pointing downwards. Small bulbs like anemone, leucojum, muscari, lachenalia, tritonia and ranunculus should be planted 5cm deep, and larger ones like hyacinth, freesia, and Dutch iris should be planted 10cm deep. Use a dibber (a tool to make holes in the soil) or bulb planter to do the job.
● Keeping the soil moist at root level is the most important aspect of growing bulbs. Soak the soil to a depth of about 15cm every four to five days.
● Potted bulbs will need more regular watering – even every day if dry. Never allow the base of the pots to stand in water.

For more information on bringing Life to your Garden, visit our website www.lifeisagarden.co.za or join the conversation on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/lifeisagardensa.

Life is a Garden is the marketing division of The South African Nursery Association (SANA). SANA is a member driven, non profit organisation, which strives to promote gardening as a hobby in South Africa for ALL South Africans. Find your nearest Life is a Garden/GCA affiliated Garden Centre by looking for the yellow and green GCA flag at independent garden centres, and all Builders Group Home stores.

For more stories like this, Get Estate Life Magazine for free

Latest…