April is National Garden Month. What a fun way to usher in the spring! This year will be a change for me as I say 'goodbye' to our little garden in the city and 'hello' to three acres in the country. Years were spent lovingly designing a charming landscape in our back yard, piece by piece. I know those roses by name; the plants and I share history together. Leaving them in the hands of someone else will be tough. The future at our new place is bright and sunny, however. Years from now we will have transformed this space into something that is truly ours. For now, it feels like a treasure hunt when I go outside and find something new blooming.
If you would like some ideas for introducing children to the joy of gardening, try kidsgardening.org.
Creating a Family Garden by Bunny Guinness is a wonderful book with imaginative and practical ideas for creating a child-friendly garden. It doesn't matter if you have a small or large space, or prefer wild or manicured atmosphere. This book has something for everyone. I appreciate that the garden spaces are attractive to adults as well. Covering subjects such as tree houses, garden games, water gardens, wildlife and pets, and outdoor living, Bunny Guinness has created a masterpiece. My favorite design is 'The Wind in the Willows Garden,' complete with Ratty's river house. Although this design is a bit impractical for the average reader, most readers would be able to find inspiration or a few small projects to tackle within the cover of this book.
For more garden fun, check out Garden project ideas from FamilyFun magazine, or the book Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy.
"What a delight it is, when, of a morning, I get up and go out to find in full bloom a flower that yesterday was not there." --Tachibana Akemi
(and a nod to National Poetry Month:)
"A true poet does not bother to be poetical. Nor does a nursery gardener scent his roses." --Jean Cocteau
I can relate to feeling like being on a treasure hunt when discovering a new bloom-I feel the same way at our new place. Each season brings new surprises. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kidsgardening website. Looks to be a good one. The book by Sharon Lovejoy was just shown to me by a friend last week. It is a beautiful book. I would like to get a copy for our library.