When I was a child, we were barely ever indoors. And I believe that gardening is really important for children. There’s no doubt that if you make it fun, kids will get involved. So here are my top ways to get them outside – all we need now is some good summer weather!
1 Start a plot
Identify part of the garden that belongs to each child. My father did this for me, my sister and brother. Let your children plant what they want to grow in their own patch. You’ll be amazed how much difference that little bit of ownership will make to them.
2 Make it fun
Encourage them towards plants that have a life outside the garden. Growing pumpkins for Halloween, for example, or an apple tree or peanuts to eat. It’s not just leaves and flowers – it’s all the other things that plants give.
3 Try something new
There are heaps of plants, fruit, veg and colourful shrubs that are a bit different from what’s in the rest of the garden. Don’t be afraid of something that might look a little odd in your design!
For younger children, sunflowers are always a winner because they grow so quickly. They are also easy and inexpensive. Get siblings really invested in it by making it a competition to see whose grows bigger! Get sunflower growing tips here.
5 Follow the feathers
Pick up a small pair of binoculars and a birdspotting book. It will encourage kids to take an interest in what’s going on outside. Birds are free pets.
6 Feed the fish
If the kids aren’t too young, add a pond – you can get by with less than two metres sqaure. Introducing frogspawn or goldfish will let them interact with living creatures – pondlife is fascinating. But make sure it’s well covered so no one falls in.
7 Grow your own
We all know kids love to eat, but it’s even more special when they’ve grown it themselves. Fruit goes down well and strawberries are a firm favourite. If you’re struggling to get kids motivated, take them to a pick-your-own farm and grab a couple of strawberry plants on the way home.
8 Start indoors
You can also grab their attention inside the house first. There are fascinating plants such as Venus flytraps, the Dracula plant, the hooded executioner and the deadly dew plant – they’re fascinating plants that eat insects and are guaranteed to be a winner on a bedroom windowsill.
Simple maths: kids plus creepy crawlies equals hours of fun! Try creating a bee or insect hotel to attract more bugs into the garden. Simply stuff straw into empty pipes or fill a plant pot with pine cones. Or check out my bee house, made from an old terracotta pot!
And don’t be squeamish – insects attract birds and protect the garden. A ladybird eats 5,000 greenfly in its lifetime, so everyone wins!
10 Make them work
If you can’t drum up any enthusiasm, make the kids earn their pocket money in the garden. It gives them an incentive to cut the lawn, dig weeds and water plants when it’s hot. It worked on me when I was young!
Peonies, or paeonia, are a classic British garden plant, famous for their bold foliage and big, showy flowers. They look divine planted in borders, giving the garden a punch of colour and fragrance from mid-spring to mid-summer. They can also be used as a low hedge, or mixed with roses, irises and columbines for a full flower bed.
Division
Peonies can be divided into two groups: herbaceous perennials with soft growth that dies back over winter, and tree peonies with woody stems that do not.
The plants have large, alternate leaves that are often tinged with bronze when young and rich red in autumn. But the real showstoppers are the flowers. They can be single, double or anemone-form and have lightly ruffled edges. The outer petals are broad and striking, and the centre is filled with strong stamens. They also make fantastic cut flowers.
Brilliant white
P. lactiflora ‘Duchesse de Nemours’is an old peony with white ruffled petals that deepen to yellow at the centre. It’s tall and has a strong, sweet fragrance. It’s also floriferous, meaning it grows multiple blooms on each stem that make excellent cut flowers.
Another good variety is P. lactiflora ‘Do Tell’, which has open, anemone-form petals and striking pink and white stamen. It won the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 2004, and grows prolifically in Britain. It has dark green foliage and strong red stems that won’t need staking.
Soft yellow
P. ‘Bartzella’ is an intersectional hybrid made from a cross between a white herbaceous peony and a yellow tree peony. It’s one of the most popular hybrids around, and won the American Peony Society Gold Medal in 2006. The huge blooms can be 25cm in diameter and have lemon yellow petals with red bases. It flowers prolifically without the need for staking, and has a lovely lemon fragrance.
How to grow peonies
Peonies are great for beginner or lazy gardeners, because they’re hardy and low-maintenance. They prefer full sun but tolerate light shade and thrive in most soil types.
Plant them in the autumn and once established they will look after themselves. They usually reach 60-90cm tall, but some varieties will get up to 150cm high.
The flower heads may need staking when in full bloom to stop the stems snapping. Cut the foliage as it dies back in autumn to avoid peony wilt – a grey mould.
Peonies are long-lived plants but they don’t like being transplanted, so leave them where they are. If you absolutely have to, move it in the autumn and try to create as little root disturbance as possible.
Did you know? Ants love peonies and can often be seen crawling over the buds and flowers. But don’t worry – they are there for the sweet nectar the flowers produce and don’t harm the plant!
Blushing pink
P. lactiflora Sarah Bernhardt is a long-time classic peony. It’s a floriferous variety named after the famous Victorian actress. The huge blooms have crinkled pink petals and a light fragrance. It’s a tall bush with rich green foliage that will need staking.
For something a bit more modern, try P. Coral Charm, a hybrid peony with salmon-coloured petals and a bright yellow centre. The blooms are in an antique rose form, and they fade from coral to a peach shade as the flower opens. The foliage stays green all year round, and it grows to 120cm tall.
Rich reds
P. lactiflora ‘Felix Crousse’ is an old, floriferous peony with a faint fragrance. It has rich raspberry-red flowers with a wide collar and a tightly packed centre. It’s a dependable variety with good drought resistance but may need staking.
Another good variety is P. suffruticosa ‘Rimpo’, a tree peony. It can grow up to 150cm tall, and has lovely deciduous foliage. It hails from Japan and has large blooms in a deep red shade with bright yellow stamen.
