If you’d like to spend more time outside with your loved ones, but your garden is geared more towards your children than a paradise for you to enjoy, then we can help. With a bit of inspiration and creativity, you can easily transform your garden into a haven for kids, teens and adults.
Garden storage doesn’t have to be an eyesore to provide practical security for your garden tools and kids outdoor toys. Metal sheds can complement any style and are easy to redesign when changing your garden.
As well as being a good style choice, metal sheds are more affordable, which makes them perfect for a family budget. Lighter and easier to erect, moving the shed and assembling it alone is not a problem. Buy Sheds Direct have a fantastic range of stylish metal sheds in various sizes for any shape garden; take a look here to find one that’s right for you.
Multi-Purpose Fire Pit
Many families avoid fire pits because they don’t want to risk child safety. However, there are plenty of fire pits out available that take the protection of children very seriously and have incorporated that into their designs.
Table fire pits are a great addition to a family garden. A large table with a fire pit in the centre will keep you warm while socialising and keep little hands away from the flames. If you would prefer a fire pit, you can put away at the end of an evening; a tabletop fire pit would be perfect for you. Working in the same way as the built-in fire pit tables, these smokeless fire pits can be put on high tables away from curious children. Enjoy food and drink in style without having to worry about treating accidental burns or having to rescue a favourite stuffed toy.
Treehouses And Playhouses
Give your children countless hours of enjoyment and add a beautiful feature to your garden with a treehouse or playhouse. Allow your kids to escape into a world of fantasy, decorate the inside with their favourite themes from books, cartoons, TV and films. Encouraging them to get fresh air and play outside will become a breeze, but you may have to fight to get them to come inside when it’s dinner time.
Whether you only have the room for something small or something with multiple rooms and levels, keep it easy to clean with vinyl flooring. Vinyl flooring has many funky designs kids love, and you can rest easy knowing their imagination won’t cause any permanent damage. Keeping their playhouse or treehouse well maintained will give them years of enjoyment and make all their friends quite jealous.
Space For Entertaining
Every family garden should have space for entertaining and family meals, but choosing the wrong type can dictate how you use your garden. Find informal and laid-back styles, perfect for lounging in the sun on a lazy Sunday or painting pictures with your little ones after school; these styles easily transition from day to night, giving you more use out of your garden. Comfy corner sofas, bucket armchairs and copious amounts of cushions will make the area feel more inviting regardless of the time of the day. Whether you’re serving breakfast on a Saturday morning or hosting friends on a Friday, your seating will always be ready and looking fabulous.
Cosy Reading Nook
Fantastic for adults and children, cosy reading nooks are the perfect way to get more out of your garden. Set up a stylish canopy, hang some lights, lay down a comfy rug and fit as many cushions and pillows as you can on the rug.
Spend long, relaxing summer evenings beneath the canopy with a cold drink or cuddle up with the kids to read their favourite book. Your cosy little ready nook is great for more than reading; teenagers will love escaping to a private spot with their friends or listening to music, and you can all enjoy stargazing at night as a family.
Build your cosy nook in a part of your garden that feels wilder with plenty of shrubs and flowers to enhance the tranquil vibe.
Attracting Wildlife
A treat for the whole family is when wildlife visits your garden, and it’s easy to turn your garden into a haven for your local wildlife. Install birdbaths, feeders and nesting boxes to encourage more birds into your garden. Plant nectar-rich plants for every season, like buddleja, echinacea and verbena bonariensis, to support the bees. For our small visitors, add cover with shrubs, logs and long decorative grasses and watch hedgehogs wander into your garden to delight your children.
Adding a small water feature can encourage more wildlife such as dragonflies and frogs into your garden, but be careful when putting any water features in your garden as they can be hazardous for small children. There are fountains and mini waterfalls that are designed to be high up to avoid any accidents with children so that you and your family can watch your garden burst with life without worry.
Give Your Kids Their Own Plot Of Land
Children love to help us with the garden, but often that ‘help’ is not all that helpful, and we end up with more work to do. Give them their own part of the garden to grow plants and teach them about nature while boosting their self-esteem as they watch their flowers sprout.
There are many plants and vegetables that children can grow, but choosing ones that are easy to grow with short growing seasons are the best, as children often become discouraged if they don’t see progress fast enough. Start by creating a raised bed to protect seedlings from accidental trampling and choose your plants.
Sunflower:Â This is a must for any child’s garden space, be careful to only plant one or two as they take up a lot of room. Once planted, they take about a week to begin sprouting, and after around eight weeks, you will have beautiful flowers for your kids to enjoy. If you pick sunflowers typically grown for food, they will dry out naturally at the end of the summer, and their seeds can be roasted for snacks; save a few seeds to plant next summer, and you will always have a fun activity with your children.
Nasturtiums:Â A great flower to encourage your young gardener, they bloom around 50 days after the seeds have been planted with gorgeous red, orange and yellow flowers. Nasturtiums are a plant that prefers dry and sunny weather; they are also pest resistant to avoid any heartbreak if caterpillars are a problem.
Carrots: This vegetable is slow to germinate, so your little ones will need some patience with this one. Plant them in rock-free soil, and they should mature after 60 days with plenty of watering. Choose small varieties when planting with your children as they grow faster and are much more fun for them to eat.
Cherry Tomatoes:Â Children love growing tomatoes and have the most fun with this plant. Tomatoes do take some work and are best planted with lots of supervision to avoid disappointment.
