My Children's Swingset

22 years ago

Hi- I'm a newbie to your forum. ALthough I've been a longtime lurker. I took an old rusty swingset DH was going to take down. Spruced it up a bit, suprisingly the kids are using it more than ever.(hum) Also am going to make a child's garden next to it and thought you could help me think of some flowers that remind you of children. Thought about lamb's ear and pansy's already have lavender and daisies. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thank you in advance. hope you enjoy the pic

debbie {{gwi:1274940}}

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Comments (3)

DurtyKneez
22 years ago
Debbie - Welcome!
The swingset looks great - so bright and cheerful - good job.
All the plants you mentioned are fine choices. Pansies have such sweet faces and Lamb's ears are so soft (back in the 'old days' they doubled as toilet paper - kids get a kick out of that)
Some more ideas:
snapdragon (kids adore 'snapping' the little mouth open & shut)

giant allium (enourmous fuzzy purple ball on the top of a tall stem) - Allium albopilosum is more cold hardy than A. giganteum, and just as big

butterfly weed - Asclepias tuberosa (light dry soil just like your lavender is in)

chinese lantern - Physalis alkekengi (precious little orange/red fruits that really look like tiny lanterns) You might want to contain this one in a spot by itself - can be invasive.

Lash some poles together in a teepee and plant sweat peas at the base (heavenly to crawl into when they are blooming)

Check some of the herbs - fragrance is a wonderful addition. Plus it does not hurt them when children give them a good shake to release the smells.

Do consider plants that attract butterflies - nectar & larva. The butterfly forum here is great - they can tell you the best ones for your zone - especially if you tell them where you are in zone 5.
Enjoy & keep us posted!
damrn01
Original Author
22 years ago
thank you so much for your warm welcome-just posted a note to steph on gardening for the soul-she is an inspiration.Just saw a allium in a new catalog from JP--what clever ideas. I will keep you posted are all the plants you mentioned hardy for my zone? And funny you should mention the toilet paper part--just read a post in here from a teacher i almost fell out of my chair (LOL) thanks again.
debbie (read some of your great posts inthe past-usually hang out in gardenjunk but you are all a great group too. we all have to quit lerking yeh?
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DurtyKneez
22 years ago
Debbie -
Yes - they all grow fine in your zone (choose the cold hardy variety of Allium). When you buy the pansy plants from a local nursery, ask them if you need to cover them in the winter on especially cold nights so they will last longer.
Some more I thought of: sunflowers - the seed catalogues have gorgeous varieties - look for early bloomers - they come up fast and easy from seed.
Hollyhocks - to make 'ladies' from the blossoms.
Yes - Steph is truly inspiring - I hope she stays in touch with us so we can cheer her on and learn from her as well!
I am a lurker in several of these forums - the knowledge, creativity, and resourcefulness of these folks is impressive.