Children's garden

Now that's it's spring and spring break for our pre-schooler, we are going to get our hands dirty working in the yard this week. I've spent the past seven years putting endless hours of effort and lots of sweat equity into our lawn's appearance. It's an on-going process and this year it leads me to creating a special retreat for our children.

Last summer we installed a playset. This year I'm landscaping the area around it to create a children's garden. Here's what I have in mind thus far: a playhouse, a butterfly garden (planting from seeds), ornamental grass hideaway (taking some of what I already have and spreading it around), a sunflower garden (starting from seeds), an herb garden (a variety of seeds), a hammock for snuggle story time (being moved from another part of the yard), a spot for a princess tent (I snagged at a tag sale last year), a homemade tee-pee (I'm making out of bamboo poles and a bed sheet), bench seat near the playset (already have) and potato vine to disguise the fence in the background. Do you have any ideas to add or thoughts to consider?

Here's the area. All the ferns were cultivated from one pot. They are beautiful, add a nice texture to the lawn, grow like crazy and the deer won't eat them (at least they haven't in my neck of the woods.)

All the ornamental grasses were cultivated from one pot.

Here's the playset nestled between the trees. The area behind it, to the right and to the left are what we are working on transforming. We will be digging and preparing the various areas this week and adding seeds/transplanting ornamental grasses as the weather warms.

When we lived in a shoebox in the city and had no yard, I filled my gardening desires by planting flowers in the tree-well in front of our building (while wearing a triple layer of gloves.) I love working in the yard and now I'm excited to have my children work by my side (or climb on the playset while I work.) Do you like to garden? What are some perennials that you love? Any gardening tips to share?