How to Plant a Child Friendly Garden
Avoid planting toxic plants., Remove plants that are spiky or sharp., Consider the main ground cover you use., Remove large rocks near trees that children might climb up., Seal up or remove a garden pond., Teach your kids about respecting animals...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Avoid planting toxic plants.
A child-friendly garden should ideally be free from toxic plants, particularly ones that may look inviting.
Plants with berries that look edible but are actually toxic should be avoided.
These plants include nightshade, ivy, laburnum and yew.
It’s important to warn children about not touching plants such as poison ivy, nettles, and thistles as they may encounter these elsewhere (but hopefully not in your garden).
Older children should be able to learn to avoid these plants without having to remove them from the garden. -
Step 2: Remove plants that are spiky or sharp.
You may also want to get rid of spiky plants and anything likely to prick or scratch your child.
Young children learning to explore their environment are most likely to grab plants for support and are more likely to be stung or pricked.
Some plants that are sharp or have thorns include roses, yucca, raspberry and blackberry bushes, and a variety of cacti. , Children are also likely to fall over, so keep the surface of your garden in mind.
Gravel is painful to fall on and hard surfaces can make for a rough landing.
Instead, play areas should ideally be grassed or covered with a softer surface such as bark chips rather than gravel.
This is especially important under climbing frames or swings where falls are more likely. , Children generally love to climb trees; while this is a wonderfully fun pastime, falls can occur.
Try to minimize the danger of falling out of a tree by laying down soft ground around the base of the tree.
This could include mulch or soft soil.
Remove rocks, spiky surfaces, and hard objects from under the base of the tree. , An average of five children drown per year in the USA in garden ponds alone.Because of this, if you are trying to create a child-friendly garden, consider removing any installed pond or water feature that your garden may correctly house.
If you can’t remove the water feature, consider installing safety guards around your water feature that should help to keep your children from falling in.
You should also consider installing a ladder on the edge of the pond or large fountain to make it easier to climb out of.
Children should always be supervised around water, even if the water is very shallow. , If possible, try to eliminate infestations of biting insects, such as fire ants, from your garden.
If elimination is not possible, teach your children to avoid getting close to insects or animals that might sting or bite them.
If you have a specific area in your garden where a stinging or biting insect has taken up residence, try to keep your child out of that area by putting up short-term fences, or supervise your child whenever he or she wanders into that section of the garden. , Another aspect of keeping your child safe is to install a fence around your garden, particularly if you don’t have any fences separating your yard from the street.
Fences can help to keep intruding animals and people from wandering into your garden, while also making sure that your child doesn’t put him or herself in danger but leaving the yard. , Not many plants will appreciate being trampled on or picked by children.
How you handle this depends on the size of your garden and how you hope your children will entertain themselves in the garden.
For instance, if you plan on having a part of the garden for your children to grow edible plants, consider placing a fence around the part of the garden that you don’t want them to pick (or try to eat).
If you have certain plants you don’t want trampled, consider giving those particular plants their own mesh fencing. -
Step 3: Consider the main ground cover you use.
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Step 4: Remove large rocks near trees that children might climb up.
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Step 5: Seal up or remove a garden pond.
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Step 6: Teach your kids about respecting animals and insects.
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Step 7: Build a fence around your garden.
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Step 8: Protect your plants from getting trampled.
Detailed Guide
A child-friendly garden should ideally be free from toxic plants, particularly ones that may look inviting.
Plants with berries that look edible but are actually toxic should be avoided.
These plants include nightshade, ivy, laburnum and yew.
It’s important to warn children about not touching plants such as poison ivy, nettles, and thistles as they may encounter these elsewhere (but hopefully not in your garden).
Older children should be able to learn to avoid these plants without having to remove them from the garden.
You may also want to get rid of spiky plants and anything likely to prick or scratch your child.
Young children learning to explore their environment are most likely to grab plants for support and are more likely to be stung or pricked.
Some plants that are sharp or have thorns include roses, yucca, raspberry and blackberry bushes, and a variety of cacti. , Children are also likely to fall over, so keep the surface of your garden in mind.
Gravel is painful to fall on and hard surfaces can make for a rough landing.
Instead, play areas should ideally be grassed or covered with a softer surface such as bark chips rather than gravel.
This is especially important under climbing frames or swings where falls are more likely. , Children generally love to climb trees; while this is a wonderfully fun pastime, falls can occur.
Try to minimize the danger of falling out of a tree by laying down soft ground around the base of the tree.
This could include mulch or soft soil.
Remove rocks, spiky surfaces, and hard objects from under the base of the tree. , An average of five children drown per year in the USA in garden ponds alone.Because of this, if you are trying to create a child-friendly garden, consider removing any installed pond or water feature that your garden may correctly house.
If you can’t remove the water feature, consider installing safety guards around your water feature that should help to keep your children from falling in.
You should also consider installing a ladder on the edge of the pond or large fountain to make it easier to climb out of.
Children should always be supervised around water, even if the water is very shallow. , If possible, try to eliminate infestations of biting insects, such as fire ants, from your garden.
If elimination is not possible, teach your children to avoid getting close to insects or animals that might sting or bite them.
If you have a specific area in your garden where a stinging or biting insect has taken up residence, try to keep your child out of that area by putting up short-term fences, or supervise your child whenever he or she wanders into that section of the garden. , Another aspect of keeping your child safe is to install a fence around your garden, particularly if you don’t have any fences separating your yard from the street.
Fences can help to keep intruding animals and people from wandering into your garden, while also making sure that your child doesn’t put him or herself in danger but leaving the yard. , Not many plants will appreciate being trampled on or picked by children.
How you handle this depends on the size of your garden and how you hope your children will entertain themselves in the garden.
For instance, if you plan on having a part of the garden for your children to grow edible plants, consider placing a fence around the part of the garden that you don’t want them to pick (or try to eat).
If you have certain plants you don’t want trampled, consider giving those particular plants their own mesh fencing.
About the Author
Mark Chavez
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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