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[SG] children

Greetings:

The "garden of horrors" thread has gone on enough to force me to
declare that children and gardens go together, within limits. I have rarely
had problems with kids in my gardens. The few times there have been
troublesome kids, I have invited them into my gardens for pleasant chats
about not only respecting others' properties but about the plants themselves
and nature in general.

By taking these children into the garden and showing them the delights of
colors, the varieties of plant structure, different bloom times and how
plants are born from tiny seeds, I've been able to instill in virtually all
of them a sense of wonder and appreciation.

One "intruder" is young man who now has a 4-year horticulture degree and is
working for a large perennial grower. He says he
credits me with "planting" his interest in horticulture as a career as well
as a hobby. He's doing the same with his daughter, now 3.

I have 5 grandchildren of curious and, sometimes, obnoxious ages. They do
know, however, that grandpa's gardens are off-limits. They do not run
through them nor do they pick flowers. They know better. Why? Because I make
time to get them acquainted with the gardens. They delight in walking around
and through them, getting down on knees for close looks at mini-plants or at
bugs -- even picking flowers for grandma, with grandpa's permission, of
course.

Instead of screaming and bitching at kids, draw them into the garden. Teach
them. Don't fight with them. Don't set booby traps.

Who's acting like a child here?

John G. Adney
Marion, Iowa (zones 4-5 kid-friendly gardens with rules)
johnadney@msn.com
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