Last weekend I sat down with Sam and Lily and a seed catalogue. It was the nicest hour of my whole week.
I’ve been doing my own planning for this year’s garden and allotment this week, so it was a great opportunity to get the kids thinking about what they want to grow in their own little plots down at the allotment (see my Family Allotment Adventure post for more about what they got up to last year).
I think it’s important to involve your kids in every stage of gardening, it helps them understand the significance of whatever they’re doing in the grand scheme of things, and getting them to make their own plans also gives them a big sense of responsibility. In our experience it also makes them more inclined to look after their plot; that emotional investment is started early, before even a seed in sown, and this seems to work its magic.
So… we browsed, we chatted, we drew, we made lists, I drank tea. The result was two wish lists and one rather fabulous drawing of Sam’s plot, I particularly love the bees!
Sam decided to choose plants that would be good for pollinating insects; last year we talked a lot about how important it is to look after pollinators in your garden if you want your plants to thrive, this has obviously stayed in his mind. We chatted about choosing plants that are suited to the conditions on his plot (full sun) and also about choosing plants that grow to a variety of heights to give it a bit of structure. Here are his choices.
Teddy Bear Sunflowers – “I grew these last year and they were so cool.”
Aquilegia McKanas Giant – “The flowers are fab colours.”
Candytuft – “It looks frothy.”
Coleus – “The patterns on the leaves are awesome!”
Ipomoea – “Blue is my favourite colour, I can grow this up a cane wigwam.”
Nigella – “We grew this at home last year and I loved the feathery leaves.”
Lily was very clear on what she wanted to grow in the way that only a 3 year old can be; for her it was all about flower appeal and familliarity. Here are her choices.
Cosmos & Teddy Bear Sunflowers – “I remember stroking them!” (she grew these on her plot last year)
Sweet peas – “I’ve already planted them.” – she did, back in November, good memory!
Pansy – “The patterns look like butterfly wings.”
Poached Egg Plant – “Egg flowers! I love dippy egg.”
This was such a lovely thing to do with my kids; I got a real insight into what gardening means to them and what they have learned so far from our family hobby. Their enthusiasm and have-a-go approach reminded me why this gardening lark is so well-suited to children. I can’t wait to get planting with them.
Joining in as always with Annie’s #HDYGG series at Mammasaurus
Stephanie says
January 15, 2015 at 12:25 pmThose bees are fab, everyone needs bees like that. Planning what to grow is one of the most enjoyable january tasks too #hdygg
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 1:12 pmYes planning is a lovely way to look forward isn’t it – and I’m a big fan of lists too so I’ve been in my element this week! A plotholder on our allotment site installed a beehive last year so the kids are very interested in them, hopefully our plot will have lots of visits from them this year 🙂
Amanda says
January 15, 2015 at 12:55 pmI love everything about this, their reasons for choosing their flowers are adorable, the garden and allotment will look gorgeous and vibrant in the Summer
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 7:00 pmI think we might be in for a riot of colour – bring it on! Thanks for your lovely comments 🙂
Mammasaurus says
January 15, 2015 at 1:23 pmOh how lovely that you are all planning together. Kitty especially feels really proud when she plants something and sees it grow. We can’t wait till our Spring bulbs that we picked and planted together come up!
I love this post – such a feel good family feeling 🙂
Thanks ever so much for joining in and sharing, I really enjoyed reading this x
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 7:09 pmI really enjoyed writing and sharing it too! Hearing that our little planning session has made others feel warm and fuzzy means the world, thank you 🙂
Looking forward to seeing some of your fab photos of those bulbs!
Claudia says
January 15, 2015 at 1:38 pmwhat a great selection! i’m surprised your Lily didn’t request any lilies. mine always does. and i agree, it is so important to involve them in every stage. looks like they really enjoyed it too.
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 7:17 pmYes I thought we would have a request for lilies too but not this time – we often grow them in containers in the garden though so we can always squeeze some in that way!
Iona@redpeffer says
January 15, 2015 at 1:39 pmA lovely activity to share together. I too love to see my children’s approach to it all, it always keeps me feeling fresh and brings new enjoyment for me as much as them 🙂
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 7:21 pmThey see it all through very different eyes don’t they? I’m a bit of a control freak and their perspective on gardening always reminds me to go with the flow and just enjoy it!
Gemma says
January 15, 2015 at 6:18 pmI love that your kids have their own little plots 🙂 I’m sure that will be a fond memory when they grow up. Lovely plant choices – I’ve never seen a Teddy Bear Sunflower before but I like it. Looks like a cross between a marigold and a sunflower.
Catherine says
January 15, 2015 at 7:31 pmI had my own little patch at my Dad’s allotment when I was little which is how the idea of doing the same for my kids started – as well as hopefully creating lovely memories it’s a great way of keeping them busy while I get on with the more boring jobs!
That’s a good description for Teddy Bear Sunflowers, they are only about 50cm tall which makes for very easy stroking – they really do feel lovely to touch!
Rosie @Eco-Gites of Lenault says
January 15, 2015 at 7:36 pmSam and Lily have chosen exactly the plants I chose when I first started gardening … and I still grow many of them today. Good choice kids! #HDYGG
Catherine says
January 16, 2015 at 9:18 amAh they are in good company then! A few of them are new to me too so fingers crossed we get it right, will keep you posted 🙂
nessjibberjabberuk says
January 15, 2015 at 9:39 pmWhat a lovely idea to let your children choose some of their own seeds. I still haven’t decided what to grown this year. I only have my greenhouse but I may now ask my daughter!
Catherine says
January 16, 2015 at 9:22 amThere’s still plenty of time to decide what to grow, most things can’t be planted until February at the earliest because of the poor light levels before then. In my experience kids always come up with some ‘interesting’ choices which is all part of the fun 🙂
Merlinda (@pixiedusk) says
January 16, 2015 at 1:45 pmIt is really nice to involve the kids with gardening. Opens them up to nature and what beauty it has when nurtured. They have the wildest imagination so the planning part would be awesome. I cant wait to see your allotment =) #hdygg
Catherine says
January 16, 2015 at 2:00 pmI think ‘wild’ is a perfect explanation of their imaginations, anything goes!
Elizabeth - Little White Feathers says
January 16, 2015 at 2:41 pmThat is such a lovely idea. I love getting my daughter involved in our garden – the greenhouse is the very much the girls’ domain in our garden. I love the teddy bear sunflowers – I have seen those before. I will try them with Rose – she would love them too x
Catherine says
January 16, 2015 at 3:09 pmWell the greenhouse is the nicest place to be temperature-wise at the moment so you’ve got the right idea! Let me know how you get on with the Teddy Bears – they were a huge hit with my two last year, I think they will be a regular for us now.
Southbourne Gardens says
January 21, 2015 at 11:30 amHow wonderful to work with the children on this.
Catherine says
January 21, 2015 at 10:05 pmWe had a really lovely time, now we’re waiting impatiently for the seed order to arrive!