by Laura Falin posted in Life

I am currently wearing shorts. In Colorado. In March.
This is crazy-early for us, and I apologize to everyone I'm traumatizing with my pasty white legs, but this is glorious. It's getting me itching to plant something soon here. March always does this. March sends us a few beautiful balmy days, and tricks me into planting things, and then BAM! March sends a blizzard and kills everything dead. You'd think I'd learn.
But we are planning for a garden soon, and since kids love to be out playing in dirt and watching things grow, it's fun to plan gardens with children in mind.

Here are a few ideas for children's gardens:
1.) Plant a cutting garden
Plan a garden whose only purpose is to grow bright, colorful flowers for kids to pick. I've had gardens with beautiful flowers that I didn't want anyone to touch, because they looked so pretty in front of our house, but if we want kids learning to love gardening, it's way more fun to just let them go nuts. Let them pick flowers to bring in the house, or make daisy chains with, or mix with mud and water to make weird potions. Zinnias, marigolds, and daisies are all nice and colorful (and they're edible, too!) Violets are another edible flower that can grow in early spring, even in climates where it snows. 2.) Plant a butterfly garden.
It's so fun watching the critters that different plants attract. Check out which zone you're in, and try some plants that attract butterflies in your area. A butterfly bush...