Help me create a magical garden please!

[BlahBlahYeahYeah]

I am a complete garden idiot. Absolutely NO Idea. For example, dd wanted to plant tomatoes; I bought a tomatoe plant from aldi (which we frequently forget to water). THAT kind of bad

Anyway! We have a huge garden (with a tiny house) and I am massively conscious of the fact that summer is flying past and I havnt done anything in the garden for the dd's. I just don't know where to start. It has trees all around it and er, flower beds (?) at the bottom.

There is a shed in one corner. Apart from that, it's all lawn and lots of space.

How could I create a lovely place for the dd's that they could maybe even use all year round . I saw some lovely butterfly solar lights on the Argos app last night which I've reserved , could throw them up somewhere.. I'm open to all ideas! Dd's are 5 and 1.5. Dd(5) adores plants/growing things but also likes her swings and park things. Some seating area would be nice, somewhere. It's just so big compared to our previous garden, I don't have a clue where to start.

Ask for this to be moved to the gardening topic, there are loads of fab people on that who will be able to help you

Ah thanks kit, just done that x

Any garden experts willing to help pleeeease? I make nice tea in exchange

We have a tiny garden but have squeezed in a few things.

We made a fairy garden which my DCs both love and I'm making them an outdoor kitchen play area with tin pots etc so they can make mud pies and potions to their hearts content. We have a teeny wildlife pond in our teeny garden too (though I wouldn't with DCs quite so young). Oh and a bug hotel. And wormery. And a tyre swing (very popular!).

If I had more space I would build a willow den for them. As it is, they make do with squatting under the runner bean poles as I leave a little door for them.

Pinterest has a whole gardening section on there. I have found some ace things!

A playhouse/shed or swing or even paddling pool for the kids is nice. And maybe area for them to dig and play, or make a car track, or whatever.

I find that pots are easy to manage and most garden centres can advise on what is easy to keep and whether it likes sun or shade etc.

B&M, pound stretcher and home bargains all have loads of cheap and cheerful garden pretties...solar lights, little ornaments etc that make a garden a bit more colourful without plants if that's not your thing.

Check out a book called Great Gardens for Kidsby Clare Matthews (£2.80 used on Amazon). It has loads of excellent ideas, big and small.

A job for the weekend?

fairy house

When I was a child, the man living opposite had a tiny back garden. He could have had a small patch of lawn. Instead he made a little green hill, and stood a fairy toadstool on top. (Fly agaric.)

I always thought it was magical.

I've seen little fairy doors for sale, ebay I think, so you could make a hill and put a tiny door at the bottom. Or put a door on the trunk of one of your trees.

I think if you've got a garden with lawn and flower beds then it is nice to create a seating space first to sit in. I noticed that Carol Klein's young couple on Gardeners World in fact did their patio last. But being lazy I like to be able to sit and eat outside and look at the garden then I can plan what to do with it.

Yes to swing and washing line and sandpit and dinosaur/fairy garden.

humpreycobbler has a willow igloo and a tree house. cutteduppear is an expert on willow igloos.

A hen house, a veg patch, a nursery bed for nurturing plants, a greenhouse, a compost heap, a hedgehog house, a potting shed? Its your call really. Low maintenance grasses and perennials are nice with lots of spring bulbs. Post some pictures if you can then everyone can chip in.

The choice of plants and planting style is so vast I found it helped me to think through what colours I liked and what soil/aspect I had and winter structure and formal or informal. Where I could see the garden from determined the site of the flower beds. The RHS website is the best starting point for choosing plants but be careful as its easy to waste a lot of money so plan first and choose wisely when you order. Bargains at nursery centres and lidl and aldi are all good starters.

Wow ! Didn't get the chance to log in again yday but some fab ideas!

Off to follow the links and find things on Pinterest

Another book you might like is

Kim Wilde's Gardening with Children