A Child's Garden

     Children are fascinated by growing things, and it just seems natural that childhood would be the perfect time to try to instill in them a love for gardening.  Admittedly, patience is a necessary ingredient when making a garden, an ingredient in very short supply among little ones!  Take heart-- there are many seeds that germinate quickly enough to satisfy the curiosity of a child (10 days for nasturtiums), and there's nothing saying you can't start out with good-size plants if your budget will allow.
      Color and scent are two very important considerations for a child's garden.  What do little ones do when they see flowers, besides stoop to pluck some?  The little tykes sniff them! "Aren't pretty flowers supposed to smell good?" they reason.  Plant plenty of colorful and scented flowers and plants such as petunias, daffodils, hyacinth, butterfly bush, fragrant lilies, lemon thyme, lemon balm, freesia, lavender, and fragrant hosta.  How the plant feels to the touch is important too.  There are plenty of bumpy, puckery, downy, and smooth foliage textures you can include in the garden.  Above all, make sure the flowers and plants you place in your child's garden are not poisonous.
      A small stool or bench near the flowers completes the scene, and child-size gardening tools be can be kept at hand.  Remember to work at your child's speed as you teach gardening chores such as weeding and watering.  This should be fun for them, and not become an unpleasant chore.
      I started late with gardening as a hobby, but in time to share it with my three sons and daughter.  There is a real joy and satisfaction that comes from working side by side with them in the vegetable and flower garden.  It's a time to share or just enjoy companionable silence and the pleasure of each other's company.
     Plant a garden...watch it grow...and watch a love for God's creation, and the joy of gardening also grow.

Graphic by Broderbund Clickart

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