The person who instilled a love of plants in me was my grandfather who showed me the beauty of the inside of flowers by looking at them through a magnifying glass, who showed me the tiny particles of dust which sprinkled on soil and watered, turned into plants of flowers, fruit and veg. My parenst were always busy in the garden but I was never forced to do anything. When I asked for my own garden I was given a decent piece of ground which would grow plants and at the age of 5 our new garden was bounded by a flower nursery where one of the gardeners used to post cuttings and thinnings over the wall for me to grow on. My son and daughter never showed any interest in gardening until they each had their own homes and plots. My son lives in the Rockies so only has around 6 weeks of warm growing weather but my daughter lives near me in Cornwall and we sow seed and take cuttings and share with each other. We discuss failures and successes and argue about whose is the largest, longest prettiest etc. Interestingly, my son in law, as a small boy, was only allowed to weed for his father so was very anti gardening but now is quire a keen gardener. Heasked for a statement palm tree, to go near the new sitting out area he is building, for his 50th birthday present. How is that for progress. My two always saw us picking fruit and veg from the garden and bringing it to the table so it was part of our everyday living, they seem to have embraced that way of living into their own very different lives. I am delighted as my duaghter has a stressful job and she has used her garden to keep her sanity during the shut down.
My mum had an irrefutable strategy; she popped her clogs and left me a garden.
On topic, I would say think about other aspects they may be interested in, from cookery with your own produce to the design side. Go and visit places and educate gently on how it is designed. Those were probably engaged me most when I was a child.
F
“Rivers know this ... we will get there in the end.”
You can get wonderful high magnifying gadgets for phones that can photograph the veins of leaves and flowers. It's cheap and amazing.
When I was very small, I was in love with pressing flowers. Very easy for small fingers, with a high success rate. I still enjoy it and still have the press I got when I was six.
When I was around 10/11 yrs old I was asked what I would like as a Christmas present. I always asked for books and this time I asked for a gardening book. I was given Enid Blytons The Gardening Year. That book was my bible for years, and I still have it. The paper cover is battered and tatty but the book is as good as new. Having looked it up on line recently I discovered it was found mainly in libraries as a reference book and is worth about £12.00 but the value to me in my youth was beyond counting. How lucky was I.
Most children, like many adults, struggle with delayed gratification. Sowing seeds can be an exciting task but it’s a leap of faith when comparing the bare soil to the colourful picture of a blooming flower or big fat vegetable on the packet. Succession helps here.
For the impatient souls, an instant gratification task like making a display pot works well.
With my nieces, I try to role-model the love and pleasure of gardening by making even watering, weeding and muddy hands a positive experience. They love to make labels or signs and have their own project like making a wildlife corner (wood, twigs, a bowl of water etc). They also love craft projects which use flowers and leaves - pictures or jam jars to show what is seasonal etc.
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My son and daughter never showed any interest in gardening until they each had their own homes and plots. My son lives in the Rockies so only has around 6 weeks of warm growing weather but my daughter lives near me in Cornwall and we sow seed and take cuttings and share with each other. We discuss failures and successes and argue about whose is the largest, longest prettiest etc. Interestingly, my son in law, as a small boy, was only allowed to weed for his father so was very anti gardening but now is quire a keen gardener. Heasked for a statement palm tree, to go near the new sitting out area he is building, for his 50th birthday present. How is that for progress.
My two always saw us picking fruit and veg from the garden and bringing it to the table so it was part of our everyday living, they seem to have embraced that way of living into their own very different lives.
I am delighted as my duaghter has a stressful job and she has used her garden to keep her sanity during the shut down.
On topic, I would say think about other aspects they may be interested in, from cookery with your own produce to the design side. Go and visit places and educate gently on how it is designed. Those were probably engaged me most when I was a child.
F
How lucky was I.
For the impatient souls, an instant gratification task like making a display pot works well.
With my nieces, I try to role-model the love and pleasure of gardening by making even watering, weeding and muddy hands a positive experience. They love to make labels or signs and have their own project like making a wildlife corner (wood, twigs, a bowl of water etc). They also love craft projects which use flowers and leaves - pictures or jam jars to show what is seasonal etc.
Lovely ideas on here.