Growing Memories With A Storybook Garden

The official start of summer is here and with it comes the end of the school year. Many parents and grandparents eagerly anticipate lazy days without a wealth of scheduled activities. But eventually reality sets in and you realize you need something to keep your child engaged and learning during the summer.

Why not create a garden custom designed to cultivate your child’s sense of imagination and play? It will be a learning experience on many levels. Your child will learn the basics of gardening, begin to appreciate the rhythms of nature and be exposed to valuable science, language and math skills, without even realizing it. 

To really keep your child engaged throughout the summer, you need a garden that fosters a healthy dose of daydreaming and creativity. You need a storybook garden. A garden filled with plants whose common names are the same as your child’s favorite literary characters.

Children who are fascinated by fairy tales and folklore will be enchanted by a garden that is inhabited by the likes of Goldilocks (Forsythia ‘Courtacour’ Goldilocks), Red Riding Hood (Pennisetum setaceum), and Snow Queen (Iris sibirica ‘Snow Queen’).

If you have your own little princess at home she is sure to enjoy tending a garden filled with Cinderella (Asclepias incarnata ‘Cinderella’), Snow White (Malva moschata ‘Snow White’) and Tinkerbelle (Syringa Bailbelle).

To give your child a real sense of ownership, it’s best to devote a special area solely to the storybook garden. You can dig out a new bed (a 3’ x 5’ area is plenty), use an old sandbox your child has out grown (put drainage holes in the bottom) or simply use a collection of containers. Your storybook garden should be large enough to accommodate all of your child’s favorite friends but small enough to care for in a short period of time each week. The goal is for you and your child to spend more time together enjoying the garden and less time working in it.

Regardless of how old your child is, you can find age appropriate gardening chores for them. Preparing the soil and planting the plants are best done with the help of an adult. But watering, weeding and deadheading are ideal for children of almost any age. Encourage your child to make their own plant tags and keep a gardening journal. To ensure safety, remember to supervise your child and show them the proper way to use and store garden tools. 

It’s easy to get started creating your own storybook garden. Spend some quiet time with your child browsing through a few mail-order plant catalogs or better yet, pay a visit to your local garden center to buy your storybook plants. Don’t forget to stop by the library for a few good books on your way home!

Note: If your child adores Disney characters, you can find a list of appropriate storybook garden plants here. Or if your child is more interested in the classics, you can find a list of suitable plants here.