IN THE GARDEN

by Matt Whiddon

I think that gardening is fun. Planting in combinations of varying colors and textures is exciting to me! I do realize, of course, that not everyone shares my enthusiasm. Some people want nothing to do with the hard labor that goes into a beautiful garden and would rather pay someone to do it. As an owner of a landscape firm, I have a great appreciation for such people! For others, lack of time makes it hard to keep up with their garden. What about our kids?

I must admit that as a child I had a hard time getting excited about working in the garden. A love for gardening, I believe, is something that develops over time, kind of like the love of Brussels sprouts or turnip greens. There are ways to take the boring out of gardening for our kids and, dare I say so, to make it fun. Let’s start by looking at certain types of plants that have fun characteristics, followed by options we have in gardening that make this task more enjoyable.

Planting a variety of colorful plants will get your kids excited about gardening.

The first plants I would recommend are those that bloom in bright colors such as the reds and yellows. We are all drawn to color and this attraction starts at an early age. Everyone is talking about the hot pink Knockout Roses, which make you want to say, “WOW!” I also like Petunia“Purple Wave,” Crape Myrtle “Red Rocket,” tree-form Lantana “Miss Huff,” and assorted varieties of Canna lilies—to name a few. Don’t bore your children by going to the garden center and picking up monkey grass or evergreen hollies and expect them to get excited about gardening. Choose plants with color in order to ignite their senses and get them excited about what they are doing.

Another category of plant that will have your young ones excited about the garden are those that attract butterflies. We recently took my son to the Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens, and he absolutely loved it. Gardening with butterflies is not only fun, but it also allows our children to see plants and nature interacting. The following are just a few plants that you may want to consider when trying to attract butterflies: pentas, lantana, zinnias, butterfly bushes, pansies, Mexican heather, honeysuckle and plumbago.

For garden fun I would also recommend fragrant plants. Once again we are talking about igniting the senses. Children get excited about plants that have a sweet fragrance. Try some thornless roses, tea olives, Confederate jasmine, gardenias, varying herbs such as mint and oregano, or even bulbs like hyacinths or Easter lilies.

One further type of plant your child might enjoy are those which offer unique physical characteristics. Some specimens simply look neat, such as the tall Sunflower “Sonya” and Allium “Globemaster.” Search for unusual plants like these to add variety to your garden and to incorporate plants in the garden that will pique your child’s interest.

Other than height, some plants offer a texture that appeals to children. Stachys “Helene von Stein” is soft and actually looks like a Lamb’s ear. On the opposite end of the spectrum, cacti are spiny, look different than most plants and appeal to the young eye. One of my favorite plants, the pitcher plant, is tubular and actually catches insects! Plants such as cacti and pitcher plants should be reserved for gardening by older children and with parental guidance.

Now that you have an idea of what types of plants to incorporate when gardening with your children, let’s take a look at steps we can take along the way to make gardening more fun. First of all, consider making topiaries out of your plants. I think most of us recall the movie Edward Scissorhands when we hear the word topiary, and yes, pruning your plants into certain shapes can be fun. The most commonly used plants for this type of topiary are boxwoods and certain types of junipers. I also recommend using wire frames in the shapes of animals to plant in topiary form. Simply pack moss around the frame, add some soil, and plug
in your plants. Go to www.topiary.com for further instructions and for ordering information
on wire frames.

Another step you can take to make gardening fun is to use pots in various fun shapes such as a turtle or frog. For those of us on a tight budget, simply use an old wagon or boot to plant in. Kids love to use even a simple foam cup. Let your children paint or write something on the cup and plant away. I would also suggest that you not feel the need to break the bank on plantmaterial. Kids love watching plants grow. Use seeds or young plants, which are less expensive than mature plants, to garden with.

I hope that I have encouraged you to expose your kids to gardening. I know that time places restrictions on us and limits our capacity to do as much with our children as we sometimes would like. Gardening, however, is a worthwhile activity that exposes them to the awe of the earth and allows them to see positive results from their hard work. Let me also encourage you to take advantage of nearby Callaway Gardens. Callaway exhibits colorful and exciting plants including topiaries. The Discovery Center as well as the Butterfly Center are favorites of my son and I’m certain that your children will love them, too.

Above all, make gardening a family event. It’s great therapy for mom and dad and watching your children as they interact with nature will make it worth your time.