A family garden through the seasons

Designing and creating a family-friendly garden is important; not only will this ensure the little ones remain safe in their garden, but it can also encourage family unity. A garden is a fertile area, and its natural beauty is filled with a sense of innocence, which can be felt through the goodness in lush grass or the pure magnificence of a blooming rose bush. Modelling a garden as a family activity encourages children to use their imagination and ultimately provides them with a secure area to play.

Family fun 

Spending hours playing in a garden collecting bugs is far more rewarding than being glued bug-eyed to the television screen. Family games, such as badminton or throwing a ball, can be enjoyed in the summer, and an outdoor patio area with heat lamps can be a pleasant place to enjoy a family meal in the spring or fall.

Small tasks, such as fitting new blades and oiling stiff joints on gardening tools, are jobs that should be handled by a parent. However, while visiting a webpage, such as Pat’s Small Engine Plus, to purchase new parts for heavy-duty gardening machinery is easy, it’s important to ensure a professional fits any new parts to avoid potentially dangerous accidents.

Maintaining a garden throughout the year requires doing different things depending on the weather.

Spring

Spring is the busiest time in a garden as it literally needs a spring clean that includes the following:

• Pruning.

• Stalking.

• Clearing fallen branches.

• Removing mulch.

• Trimming tattered foliage.

• De-weeding.

• Adding compost or manure to soil.

• Tidying edges.

• Dividing clumping plants.

Summer

This is the best period to enjoy family time in a garden. Vibrant colors from blossoming flowers and lush green grass provide a place of environmental beauty, while pruning, watering, weeding, feeding and planting are summer-orientated tasks.

Fall

Fall showers make planting easier as it eliminates the need for ongoing watering. Spring flowers should be planted, such as pansies, bluebells, snowdrops and allium, and many vegetables, including broccoli, carrots and spinach, enjoy the colder weather, just like new trees and shrubs.

Winter

Winter work is primarily focused on protecting vulnerable plants from the cold by using mulch and burlap filled with leaves.

Gardening tools 

Handy tools, such as a rake, a trowel and a hoe, can come in child-sizes, and buying children their own tools can encourage them to feel more inclined to help. Storing dangerous gardening tools in a shed or garage out of the reach of small children is essential. Larger gardens will require more maintenance work, and powerful machinery, including a lawnmower or an edger, will need to be purchased. Proper tool maintenance is imperative to ensure that they are safe to use, and it’s easy to get tips on tool maintenance online.

Designing, creating and maintaining a family garden is a year-round task, and as well as creating a natural space to enjoy as a unit, it is also a great way to engage children in a fun yet productive activity.