Toddler play garden

As an enthusiastic gardener myself, I have always intended to encourage the gardening bug in my children. I think its a really healthy interest to cultivate in little ones, and is something they are naturally drawn to with all the creepy crawlies, mud, fresh air and water play. With this in mind, we wanted to create a small toddler garden for Poppet to play freely in.

We chose an area that used to have a mini greenhouse thing on it (excuse the mess of the garden it is a work in progress) so it already had brick edging and good, diggable soil.

Poppet & Little's daddy knocked it all down so we were just left with a rectangle of soil. Then he rearranged some of the bricks to create a little entrance into her garden. I did some research online for ideas for elements to include, and this is what I came up with!

What is in the garden:

• A Flamingo Willow Tree (Salix Integra), that I had brought with us in a pot from our old flat and needed a new home
• A lavender plant for its lovely smell
• An alpine strawberry plant (miniature strawberry)
• An old Ikea candle lantern (spike removed). 
• Lots of pine cones
• A garden gnome, and angel wind chime that we found in the garden
• Ceramic bunny rabbit, bird on a stick and wooden bird house all from Poundland
• An upturned ceramic pot to encourage creepy crawlies
• Plant labels to stick in the ground.
• Plastic plant pots and a windowbox, for collecting things in
• Large pink quartz stone
• Watering can and children's gardening utensils
• Upturned vegetable crate to be used as a work bench

It has been very popular! One of her favourite things to do is to make 'hot chocolate' in her bucket using mud, water, and pinecones.

She can spend ages in there. Note the bunny in the lantern, apparently that is his house. Nana and Grandad also kindly got her a little pull along gardening truck so she has all her tools to hand!

It's not quite finished yet, we want to tidy up the brick work and aim to have a few more plants (hopefully some sunflowers, a fushia and maybe a vegetable like pumpkin). 

She also likes to wander into the greenhouse and water the plants with her little watering can!