Planning is key. Before starting to create a garden, it’s best to have a good look around the plot and make sure boundaries such as fences, hedges and tall trees don’t need attention. Rickety fences are dangerous for children, untidy hedges look ugly and overgrown trees limit sunlight.
If a family is lucky enough to have a walled garden, it’s best to repair and paint walls first thing to avoid trampling over beds with tender plants. While surveying the land, it’s useful to note down plants, flowers and shrubs that are already in situ and their position in the garden so they can be replanted elsewhere if necessary.
Designing a Family Garden on a Shoestring Budget
If the plot is a big expanse of grass, then a family gardener has a perfect blank canvas on which to unleash his/her flair and imagination. Making a sketch of the plot is useful. Once the gardener has produced a sketch of the plot with all the plants, it’s time for a family conference.
While opinions are aired, the gardener can mark the areas for the patio, the play area, the washing line, the beds, the shed and compost heap, perhaps even a greenhouse.
If the gardener is computer literate, he/she might want to use a PC program to design the garden. Free garden design software is available.
Dangers in the Garden
A hard-landscaped garden is not suitable for young children. A huge concreted and paved area will not cushion falls as well as grass or even bare earth. It’s best to have a large grassed area and a smaller paved one for the patio. Ponds can also be dangerous as a young child doesn’t need much water to drown. Ponds should be fenced or covered.
Flowerbeds edged by spiky borders are also not advisable. If the plot has a large expanse of hard materials and the budget is too tight to remove them, these can be covered with wood chips/bark or special mats made from recycled rubber. These mats usually provide safety surfacing in public play areas.
Thorny bushes and poisonous plants are also hazards for toddlers. Some plants have sharp stems that can inflict cuts (like pampas grass), while holly and roses can give nasty pricks to curious little hands. If the plot has any of these, a gardener can trim them so they don’t overhang the grassy area where a child is likely to play or move them away.
If the paving is damaged or there are loose slabs in the patio, these need repairing to avoid nasty falls for adults and children. Pebbles are a choking hazard and all tools and chemicals should be locked inside the shed at all times.
Poisonous plants to watch for include: foxglove, daffodil/hyacinth bulbs, azaleas (if eaten), mushrooms, broom, delphinium, drooping laurel, jasmine (berries), laburnum, lupins, oleander, wisteria (seeds/pods), black nightshade, monk’s hood, privet, yew and iris.
Designing a Safe Play Area
Depending on the budget, a gardener can install a climbing frame, playhouse, swing, trampoline, sandpit... Climbing frames and playhouses should be away from hard areas and not too near walls, fences or very large bushes. A sandpit should have a cover to avoid cats using it as a toilet. A small plot to grow vegetables might keep children busy and teach them about food.
Cheap and Free Plants
To keep costs down, a gardener can ask neighbours, friends and relatives to donate cuttings or even swap their own cuttings with other gardeners. Keeping an eye for discounts in gardening centres and DIY shops can pay off as they often have reduced or cut-price seeds or plants. Garage sales, church bazaars and market stalls will offer good bargains, too.
Nice and Easy Plants to Grow
Vigorous vegetables include: spinach, peas, salad, beans, potatoes, Swiss chard, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.
Among the perennials, there are some pretty and easy plants such as allium, muscari, sedum, hostas, stipas, ferns, geranium, clematis and fuchsia.
Fragrant plants that will fill a garden with scent include: honeysuckle, lavender and buddleia.
Growing herbs is easy and satisfying: salvia, chives, rosemary, sage, mint and thyme are undemanding.
If the plot is small, a good fruiting plant is a family tree, a tree with other varieties grafted on that can produce apples or pears.
Tips for Budget Gardening
These are just a few suggestions, if budget gardeners want to share their top tips, they can leave a comment under the article.
- Digging flower borders so they are lower than the lawn removes the need of hedging them with sharp materials.
- Filling holes with cuttings or splitting big plants will help keeping costs down.
- This website is a great source of reliable advice on budget organic gardening.
