“Big people, as well as little people, get trapped in the perfection of growing a garden: All the rows neat, all the plants straight and tall, and no holes in their leaves. But perfection is never achieved in gardening….”
Boy, was I ever glad to read that paragraph. Because, oft though I have been accused of being a perfectionist, I really am not one—typographical-error-hunting aside. This book, like most, does have some typos at the time of this writing, but it’s well worth overlooking them and benefiting from the wonderful ideas.
Even if you have very little time or money, you can put this book to good use and raise some beautiful plants with your children.
The Kid-Gardener’s Planting Book for Parents
This is an extremely helpful book for parents who want to help children grow things. It’s great even if you don’t know anything about gardening. The book is available with full-color photos, or in black-and-white, and was published by Decoded Plants.
This book has many different flowers in it, including these Verbena Superbenas above. Sunflowers, one of my favorite types of flowers, are listed as one of the easiest for kids to grow. The seeds are large and even the tiniest hands can mange to pick them up and plant them. When I read that, I thought, “So true!” It brought to mind the image of my son as a toddler, planting sunflower seeds around the edges of our raised porch. Seeds of squashes (pumpkin, zucchini, acorn, butternut, etc.) are also large and easy for little fingers to manipulate.
I love the “Blue flowers for girls and pink flowers for boys” section. Most of the people who know me are aware that I don’t tolerate sexism or shoving people into prescribed roles (which are not biblical, by the way, but a construct of recent history). So to see that section of the book address those false limitations in such a playful way, well, it made my heart glad.
I also loved the fairy gardens. What imagination Chris Eirschele has! I’ve never seen such a thing, and I think it works perfectly with childhood development principles, working make-believe play into their day. Children love fanciful things like fairies, and to combine them with real-life, tangible, touchable things. . . . It brings an additional touch of magic to the already miraculous experience of growing plants. To plant a seed and help and observe it grow is to watch a small miracle unfold. Parents, bring your children into this amazing world. All it takes is a seed, a small container, and some love.
Click here to buy The Kid-Gardener’s Planting Book for Parents by Chris Eirschele on Amazon.