by Dorothy Meyer

Created on: January 22, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

A child's garden is one that should be filled with a sense of whimsy, a few surprises, and lots of learning experiences for them to enjoy. In their garden they will need to have instant gratification, ways to inspire patience, and little jobs and sights to see for everyday. A garden filled with elements to delight and stimulate the senses.

Sight: Color, color, color! Kids are colorful little characters themselves, so surround them with every hue. Plants with colors and fun in their names will make it easier for them to remember and look forward too, like Black-Eyed Susans, Blue Bells, or Basket of Gold. Try to give them the Latin name to try as well, letting them learn even more from the tongue-twisting language of plants. Plant Pink Chimes' Campanula with its nodding bells or Moonbeam' Coreopsis with its cool yellow blooms sent straight from the skies. Purple Fountain Grass, Strawberry Candy' Daylily, and many others are out there for you to choose. Pansies with their funny faces, and Cephalaria gigantea, commonly called Giant Scabious is a plant straight out of the movie "The Wizard of Oz" due its large scale. Growing over 6' tall, with airy sprays of yellow blooms it belongs in a munchkin's land for sure. Play up on foliage, especially with trees or shrubs to be planted in a child's garden, and when Autumn arises the turning colors of the leaves can be an adventure in science. Food crops can be a feast for the eyes as well, with blueberries, cherry tomatoes and everything in between. Just think back to when you were young and the choosing will be a breeze.

Smell: The delicious vanilla of Heliotrope, the heady clove-like Carnations, and of course Roses and lilacs are scents that will be forever familiar. Even stinky plants will get giggles, like the malodorous Gas Plant. Young Squash and Zucchini leaves can smell like peanut butter, a favorite to savor over. Let them crush Scented Geranium and Mint leaves between their fingers to give them whiffs of lemon, apple, and even chocolate. Teach them how certain smells can repel pests in the garden, and the beneficial effects of companion planting, like using Marigolds or Onions to edge a vegetable bed. The smell of decay from the working compost pile, the spongy stench that rot and too much water can reek, and how just a single bloom of Casablanca' Lily can perfume an entire home. Lessons are out there, sniff them out with your child.

Sound: The birds and the bees, the rustling of Aspen leaves, and the gusts of wind

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