What’s not to love about an activity that gets the kids to bond with nature and teach them a few life lessons, too, while keeping them healthy and happy? That’s gardening!
As gardening expert, Janet Kilburn Phillips says, “Why try to explain miracles to your children when you can have them plant a garden.”
Exactly so, introducing your child to gardening and letting them experience the miracle of seeds turning into plants and then blooming vibrant flowers can be the best adventure that they will get into.
Are you wondering how to get started? Flower connoisseurs at Pearsons list the five best flowers to give kids that would help them kick start an exciting hobby.
Sunflowers – A mandatory entry into the kids’ garden patch, sunflowers are very easy to grow, though they need a lot of space. Let them plant the seeds in early spring and have fun throughout summer, watching the big blooms follow the sun across the sky all day long. That would be a bit of a Science concept for the young minds. The kids would also enjoy feeding the birds the seeds from the matured sunflower while simultaneously snacking them. But, make sure to plant the edible seed variety of sunflowers so that you can enjoy the iron-rich snack with your children.
Nasturtiums – Children would find these cheery flowers incredibly exciting just because they can eat them! Another fun aspect of nasturtiums is, they can nibble at the stalk of a flower and suck in the sweet nectar (of course, you need to ensure that the flowers are bug-free!). Get the children to plant the seeds in early spring in a semi-shaded part of the garden. The vibrant colours of nasturtiums will entice the kids, and the fast germination of seeds will not let the young gardeners get bored with the process.
Lavenders – Another sweet-smelling edible flower is Lavender that children would love to grow. Lavenders are excellent pollinators and attract a lot of butterflies when in full bloom. Children would love watching the butterflies or even chasing them around the garden. This herb-cum-flower is super easy to grow, and kids will enjoy engaging in the fun activities post-harvesting of flowers.
Daffodils – A host of golden daffodils, dancing and fluttering in the spring breeze, will not only cheer up your garden but also your kids. They will find growing daffodils a unique experience as these flowers grow from bulbs and not seeds. Help the children plant the bulbs in the fall, in well-drained soil, with plenty of sunshine. The plants would start flowering in spring, so a lesson on patience is what the kids get in addition to a lovely recital of Wordsworth’s Daffodils.
Sweet Peas – These sweet-smelling blooms do justice to the name. Children would love to grow these fast-growing plants. Help them make their wigwam for the plants to trail up and start blooming. Sweet peas come in a wide variety of colours, so children will have fun mixing and matching the different colours and creating a multi-coloured wigwam in their garden patch.
Following Alfred Austin, show your kids “the glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature.” So which flower will you grow with your kids?