Gardening With Kids: Painting and Planting a Flower Pot
Did you ever garden when you were a child?
I did. My dad gave my siblings and me, each a small raised bed in the backyard. We would spend hours leafing through the latest Burpee catalog, deciding what seeds we would buy to plant in our little gardens.
I never forgot my introduction to gardening under my father’s guidance, and I enjoy doing the same thing with my granddaughter, Lily.
Lily, and her mom and dad, just moved into their first house, and she was very excited to be able to garden.
So, I took her to the local nursery in their town of Petoskey, Michigan and told her that she could pick two types of flowers.
After some deliberation, Lily decided on cosmos and marigolds.
Gardening With Kids
We brought them home and got ready to create a pot filled with flowers.
The pot was purchased from the local big box store and painted a bright shade of blue using spray paint.
The first step was filling the pot with planting mix, which is specially formulated for container gardening as it holds onto just the right amount of soil as opposed to potting soil, which can become soggy.
As we planted the flowers, I took the time to explain to 4-year-old Lily how the roots help the top part of the plant grow and flower.
I dug the holes, and she would put each plant inside.
Gardening With Kids
Then we patted down the soil and watered them well.
When we were finished, we had a colorful pot filled with cosmos and marigolds ready to sit by the front door.
As the flowers mature and eventually dry out, Lily will collect the seed and save it for next year’s garden.
We had a lovely time and Lily would call me “Plant Lady” and herself the “Plant Girl”. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
Have you ever spent time teaching kids to garden? What did you plant?
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
We moved to SC when my son was about 12. The house had a garden area that we filled with giant sunflowers and different vege's. It was a fun family affair, none of us had gardened before. (my son is 36 now !)
Hi Wonky Girl,
Isn't it amazing how gardening can bring a family together? My kids grew up in the garden, but sadly, none have followed in my footsteps and become a horticulturist ;-).
South Carolina is such a beautiful place!
Best,
Noelle – AZ Plant Lady
I learned gardening at my grandmother's knee too! And I'm proud to say that my son has a small vegetable garden out behind his home, so the traditions are continuing. Lily is lucky to have you as her Plant Lady, while of course you are lucky to be her Plant Girl.