Kids' Container Gardening: Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out
s t n e n o c t Garden Aquariums page 49 Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi 1 Before You Start 1 2 Starting in Spring 7 Take-out Seed Start Greenhouses 7 Great Big Garden Bowls for Mom 11 Vegetable Hanging Baskets 15 Father’s Day Fountains 19 3 Simmering Summer 23 Butterfly Gardens 23 Pot People 27 Salad Bowls 31 Worm Boxes 33 4 Fall Favorites 37 Cocktail Gardens 37 Bulb Pansy Planters 41 Amaryllis Pots 43 Halloween Hats 45 5 Winter Wonderlands 49 Garden Aquariums 49 Venus Flytrap Terrariums 53 Sand Art Terrariums 57 Succulent Gardens 61 6 And One to Grow On 65 Stepping Stones 65 7 Some Last Words 69 Glossary 71 About the Author 72
s t n e m e g d e w o n k c a l First I want to thank Bruce Curtis for walking up to me at Arbor Day and saying I have a book I want you to write As it turns out it was a book I wanted to write too Many thanks to Ellen Talmage for her guidance and for passing the baton so generously and to Rick Blanchette for being the kindest of editors to a new author Many thanks to Estelle and to Joan who kept me on my path But most of all I want to thank all of the great kids who make up this book Taylor Leon Alex and Wil even though I know it was your mom’s idea Curtis Kevin Danny and Mario the best neighbors ever Sheila Troy Scott Katie Erin and Tara who came to my rescue not once but twice Jonathan and as always my sister Kyria who’s come to my rescue too often to count Thank you all a kazillion times ix
A Few Words for Grown-ups about Gardening with Children Gardening gets you in touch with the earth It’s for the porch all are great ways to start Give children the supplies they need and then let them go Who cares if they get it right Plants are amazingly forgiving Even killing a plant can be an adventure and a learning experience And when kids do it well seeing something they planted themselves actually grow can be the beginning of a lifelong love and a source of memories for a lifetime Sharing this experience with someone makes a lasting impact not only on children but on your relationship with those children I’m sure you’ll agree it’s well worth the effort And it’s a lot of fun good for the soul It’s especially good for children who have so little control over their own daily lives Playing God in the garden and learning that our actions can affect the world around us is an important lesson to learn at any age Gardening with children in my opinion is also the best kind of quality time Ask anyone who gardened with a grandparent Watch the look on their face as they talk about their memories Ask your little ones if they’d like a garden of their own It doesn’t have to be big A garden in a martini glass a salad bowl a hanging basket xi n o i t c u d o r t n i
you beforestart There are things plants need to grow If we know them and plan and plant accordingly our plants will be happy and so will we If we try to cut corners and do what’s easy for us but not best for the plants we won’t have great looking gardens And since we garden for the fun of it why not do it right 1 1 t r e p a h c
