A Whimsical Garden

Dan says it's most important to get your child involved in planning the garden. He advises incorporating features that can be modified or removed as a child's curiosity evolves. Our sample project includes an easily-built water garden surrounded by fanciful seating, planter boxes, a potting bench and a storage locker. An imaginative fence completes the setting and suggests a sense of personal space.

A professional contractor would charge about $2,000 to build the garden, but as a do-it-yourself project, the cost would run about $450. Expect to spend two weekends of work, and look for a difficulty of 2 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest. None of the tasks is especially complex, but there are several separate features to complete. Best of all, the kids can have fun participating in most of the steps.

Laying Out the Garden

After choosing a site, decide where the different features will go. Think of it as an outdoor room arranged for your child's comfort. Use boxes or chairs to locate the various features and have your child walk around the layout to be sure it's a good "fit."

Making the Planter Boxes

The planters are made to look like aged stone troughs because of a special lightweight concrete mix--three parts peat moss, three parts perlite (an amendment used in soil mixes) and two parts Portland cement. The forms for pouring the mix into can be any type of suitably large corrugated cardboard box. Simply select a box that's the same size as the planter you want, or choose a box that can be easily trimmed to size. Then select a second box (or fabricate one from scrap cardboard) that will nest inside the first box.

1. Cut a strip of galvanized metal mesh to make an insert for the gap between the two boxes (figure D).
2. Set the larger box in its final position and check for level.
3. Mix the peat moss, perlite and cement, gradually adding water to bring the mixture to the consistency of cottage cheese.
4. Add a one-inch layer of the concrete mix to the bottom of the larger box, tamping it down with a trowel, and lay a piece of galvanized mesh on top of the tamped mix (figure E). Then add another one-inch layer of concrete on top of the mesh, tamping again with a trowel.
5. Center the smaller box inside the larger one, and place the insert from Step 1 between the two boxes.
6. Hammer tall stakes into the ground around the outside of the larger box to keep the walls from bowing out under the weight of the concrete mix.
7. Fill the gap between the boxes with the concrete and smooth off the top surface with a trowel for a finished look.
8. Cover the planter with a tarp and allow 24 to 48 hours (or more) for the concrete to cure for added strength. After the concrete has hardened, peel away the cardboard forms and drill a few holes in the floor of the planter for drainage.

Building a Gardener's Workspace

Seating for the garden area can be made from halves of old wine barrels. Just carve them into the shape of a chair with a reciprocating saw (figure H); add cushions for a fun, distinctive place to read, relax or just enjoy the garden. Barrel halves also make great mini-planters or "gnome gardens," complete with small plants and miniature houses for a fantasy woodland scene.

To lend a feeling of privacy and a sense of security, it's easy to add a fence to the boundary of the child's garden. Using recycled or pressure-treated lumber, begin by hammering narrow lengths into the ground. Finish the shape with a reciprocating saw to cut a free-form border for the top of the fence (figure I). The fence also affords your child another opportunity to personalize the garden by painting creative designs.

Planting Plan

• A plant with large, multi-hued leaves, the Tropicana variety of canna offers a lush, tropical touch. Because it's for Zones 8-11 and only hardy to 10 degrees F, dig up the bulbs and bring them indoors before the first frost.
• Cape mallow (Anisodontea hypomadarum) is another plant that should winter indoors, being good for Zones 10-11, and hardy to only 30 degrees F. Its multiple, pale pink blossoms, though, add a distinctively lighthearted feel to any garden.
• For the water garden, look for dwarf horsetail (Equisetum scirpoides), suitable for Zones 5-11, and hardy to -20 degrees F. It looks natural in and around ponds, but it spreads quickly, so plant it in containers to keep the growth in check.