This is a collaborative post.
A family garden might not be exactly what you pictured when you thought about your dream garden. If you imagined pretty flowers and delicate pots, or a deep water feature and intricate designs, you might have to rethink your ideas, at least while your children are young. But, a family garden can still be a beautiful thing.
It might not be the ideal place to relax with a cocktail as you listen to the soothing sounds of running water. But, it is the perfect place to spend a summer having fun with your family. It’s where you will hear your children laugh, and see them make discoveries. It’s where they will grow and learn about the world around them. It can also save you a fortune, as you spend time playing in the water in your garden, eating ice creams from your freezer, instead of going on family days out to popular attractions and expensive tourist hotspots.
Now that the weather is starting to heat up, you might be keen to get outdoors with your family. But, it might need a little TLC first.
Clean Up
Winter is hard on our gardens. Furniture that’s been left out rusts, any toys that haven’t been locked away might be damaged, your fences and other woodwork might be broken and likely to hurt your children, and there could be countless other hazards to young children in a messy garden. If it’s in a really bad way, you might want to look at landscapers to help you move forward. If not you just need to get stuck in and start clearing away and making plans.
Make Some Repairs
Some things will need throwing away, but others can be repaired. Get these repairs out of the way as soon as you can, before they have a chance to hurt your children. Replace or fix your chipped or broken wall toppers and copings – they might be even dangerous if left like that!
Be Careful with Water
Young children love nothing more than splashing around in the water in the sunshine. But, water can be dangerous, and very young children can find themselves in difficulties in even shallow water. You might want to avoid water features, or keep them small and fenced off until your children are older. But that doesn’t mean that water should be avoided altogether. An age-appropriate paddling pool can be perfect. If you’ve got one already, blow it up now, clean it and check for any damage.
Add Some Colour
Kids love colour. Adding pretty flowers and decorations to your garden can open it up and make it look bigger while helping to create a fun and relaxing atmosphere. But, don’t plant anything that you don’t want getting ruining. Your kids will never be able to enjoy your garden if you are always telling them to keep away from things. Stick to cheap flowers that are easy to look after and replace.
Grow Your Own Veg
Growing your own vegetables is a fantastic way to get kids eating them, and interested in food. Creating even a small space where you grow fruit and veg, or even growing things like tomatoes in hanging baskets and boxes can be great fun for you and the kids.
