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Whimsy in a Child's Garden

© Linda Mazar

While you are helping your kids plant their gardens, be sure to let them include some whimsical objects to make it extra fun! Whimsy is following a whim - being fanciful, fun, eccentric, impulsive, and unpredictable. Many things can be considered whimsical. It just needs to appeal to you or your child. A touch of whimsy can take a basic garden and make it special and personal. It can make a nice garden fun and exciting!

Whimsy in found items - One person's trash can be another's treasure. No place is this more true than in the garden. Some of the most wonderful whimsical items can be found while "dumpster diving" or at yard sales. One of my favorite items, birdie, was found for $2.00 at a yard sale. Birdie is just a metal bird caricature that is mainly long legs and arms attached to a big beak and not much more. It caught my eye and he has been rusting out in my gardens every since.

Other found items that would be fun could be:

• an old wooden chair or small table - grow some flowers or grass on it or make a scarecrow or flowerpot person to sit on it
• an old metal headboard to be used as a trellis supporting climbing flowers, or other vine plants
• bowling balls (shine up the pretty swirly ones, use metallic or granite paint on others or do tile mosaics on them)
• pretty rocks, rocks with interesting shapes, fossils, etc.
• driftwood
• old glass door knobs put on stakes and made into hose guides or stuck among the flowers in the garden
• kitchen items - pretty bottles, graters, vases, bowls, etc.
• old toys - use old sand buckets as flower pots, other items as sculpture, crochet mallets as hose guides, etc.
• old tools -

Whimsy in handmade items - Lots of fun can be had in making whimsical items for the garden as well. My husband and son made a fountain for my garden from a metal washtub, a watering can, a pump and a few other pieces. A little paint, a discarded flowerpot, rock, gourd, etc. is all it takes.

Some handmade items could be:

• rocks painted to look like lady bugs, beetles, or other creatures
• scarecrows made or old clothes
• gourds painted to resemble various animals or gourds made into bird houses, or other items
• twig trellis or twig furniture
• fun garden signs - a friend makes wonderful garden signs to announce lady bug lane, midnight dances for the garden fairies, or display garden sayings

The copyright of the article Whimsy in a Child's Garden in Gardening with Children is owned by Linda Mazar. Permission to republish Whimsy in a Child's Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.