If you thought children’s play areas and a stylish garden don’t mix, here’s our advice on pleasing the whole family in the garden.
How to make your garden child friendly without ruining it
Can children and beautiful gardens ever really mix? It’s a question many of us wonder about when kids come along, often coming to the reluctant conclusion that the perfectly formed flower beds and elegant vistas we lust after may have to wait until trampolines, ball games and climbing frames have lost their allure.
However, with a bit of thought, play areas can be integrated into gardens in a stylish, non-obtrusive way. Here are a few tips to help you keep everyone happy in the garden.
Child friendly garden ideas
Zone the garden
Plan different places for different moods. In garden designer Ann-Marie Powell’s garden, the woodland area at the front of the house is for peace and solitude, the decking area is for entertaining and ‘The Sink’ is an enclosed play area for the children that miraculously accommodates a hammock, a trampoline, an assault course and two large space hoppers. It is screened by vegetables and perennials, Calendula, Eschscholzia, sweet peas, beans, sorrel and Verbena bonariensis, jostling riotously.
Add features that have more than one function
In this small family garden in the Netherlands, designed by Carrie Preston, a solid bench creates options for seating, but is also great fun for children to walk along or climb on and jump off. It is a good idea to try to integrate features into the garden that can have a double function like this. A climbing frame or even a swing can be combined with a pergola, using the same wood and style, to make them appear as a single unit. A shed could serve as a playhouse intially, and an adult space later on. A smooth, meandering path can double up as a scooter track for children.
Use what you already have
Don’t forget to use what you’ve already got – a mature fruit tree, for example, can act as a climbing frame in its own right. You could also hang a wooden swing from it.
Opt for natural materials
Rather than go for garish piece of play equipment, such as a playhouse or swing, choose one that is made of natural materials, such as wood. Avoid plastic play equipment in bright colours – it will be the first thing that draws the eye. As Ann-Marie Powell says: “Just no plastic swings.”
Submerge the trampoline
Yes, trampolines are ugly, but children really love them. At this small family garden in the Netherlands designed by Carrie Preston, the trampoline has been made less of an eyesore by lowering it into the ground – leaving a hollow area beneath it – and surrounding it with tall, soft planting. Hydrangeas and evergreen hedging are a good choice because they are tough, but soft enough to break any falls.
Forget childproof plants – but set ground rules about games
“I don’t go for boringly indestructible childproof plants,” says Ann-Marie Powell, “but football is not allowed.” Ann-Marie loves to use tall plants in a small garden. Rodgersia, Deschampsia flexuosa and loads of Veronicastrum get really big, but make the most of vertical space.
Don’t be afraid to lose the lawn
“Most people with children think they need a lawn,” says Sarah Samynathan, who designed a child- and wildlife-friendly garden in California without any grass in a neighbourhood where a neat square of lawn is the norm. “The clients understood that not having a lawn still allows for curiosity, exploration and creativity,” explains Sarah. When she visited the garden after it had been completed, the clients’ girls were cutting the flowers off with scissors and drawing them. “It was really good to see them enjoying, and connecting with, the garden in that way.”
“A garden doesn’t just have to be for kicking a ball around, Sarah adds. “Kids use their imagination – they’re creative in how they play and they work with what they’re given. Having little trails through the tall plants encourages that same playful energy.”
Give kids their own planting area
Top gardeners and garden designers often mention that their parents or grandparents gave them a small area to experiment with when they were children. Choose a sunny spot, where their endeavours are more likely to succeed.
For engaging (not entirely gardening-enthusiastic) children, use plants that are fun to grow and encourage wildlife – sunflowers work perfectly on both counts.
In garden designer Ann-Marie Powell’s garden, benches on the deck near the house are groaning with pots and baskets filled with tomatoes, basil, salads and strawberries, which her boys can pick and eat.
Replace the paddling pool with a fountain
Garden designer Jo Thompson introduced a water fountain into a family garden recently. “One of the ideas mentioned at the beginning of the project was to have a paddling pool for the children, but a water fountain is a far more exciting and sustainable solution,” she explains. “I spent much of my childhood in Italy and saw first-hand how the fountains in the piazzas there quickly become places of relaxation and gaiety – you see people splashing their hands or little children sticking their feet in,” she says. Her bespoke fountain is set within a patio, so takes up no space when not in use. Since the fountains are turned on only when required, energy use is minimal too.