Gardening with children: Adventures outdoors in winter
Show garden designer, Declan McKenna, who designed the Children’s Health Foundation Garden of Music and Play at this year’s Bord Bia Bloom, shares some advice on gardening with children.
Spending time outdoors and immersing in nature is so important for children. In a previous role with Silver Hill Duck I was fortunate to work with local schools, teaching children about the beauty of nature and benefits of gardening. It was such a privilege to be able to share my passion for horticulture with the next generation and I am always thrilled when former students approach me and tell me how much they gained from the experience.
And so, when the brief for the Children’s Health Foundation show garden at Bord Bia Bloom was released, I leapt at the chance to design it. To create a garden that would provide a nurturing and healing space for young patients, their families, and healthcare staff was deeply rewarding.
The healing power of nature
I truly believe in the power of nature and gardening for all of us, especially children. With today’s generation of young people spending more and more time on screens, any excuse to go outside and breathe some fresh air is a great idea. You don’t have to have a large garden to encourage this, you can plant in the smallest places, whether that’s a balcony, doorstep, or even a window box.
Growing your own food is a great place to start. All you need is an outdoor container, some soil, and a few seeds. To see something grow from a small seed, to a plant, then to fruit or vegetables that you can harvest and eat, is a wonderful experience for children.
Winter fun
While we’re entering the dormant season in our gardens, there is still plenty of opportunities to engage with nature. Now is a perfect time to take a walk in your local park. Encourage children to pick up leaves and try to identify them; talk about how the leaves change colour throughout the different seasons; collect some conkers and have some fun with them.
At home, the urge to tidy up can be strong at this time of year but there is a lot to be said for leaving the garden alone through winter. Grasses and other herbaceous plants may start to discolour and wilt but they provide interest through the stark winter months as well as important cover for invertebrates. Leaving seedheads on perennials is very beneficial for wildlife, while fallen leaves provide important ground cover, protecting the soil and improving fertility.
A winter garden also provides an intriguing opportunity to talk to children about biodiversity. It can be a tricky subject to tackle – you don’t want to bombard them with too much information and risk turning them off the topic – but if you keep it light you can have fun. Rake fallen leaves into one area of the garden to show them how to create habitats for insects. After a storm, gather branches and debris to build little insect hotels. Leave food and water out for birds and other wildlife during the lean winter months to help sustain them until spring. A garden is a great place for education and adventure; all it takes is a little imagination.
Declan McKenna is the in-house designer at Silverstream Landscapes in Monaghan. He has designed three show gardens at Bord Bia Bloom, including this year’s Children’s Health Foundation Garden of Music and Play. Elements of this garden have been relocated to Children’s Health Ireland hospitals following the festival, ensuring that the garden can continue to bring joy to patients and staff in the years to come.
