Child safe garden plants

Hi all

Next year I plan to section off a bit of my land to make a safe play area for my little son (he is currently 8 months old). The plan is to have somewhere where I can leave him and the wife while the chaps and I get on with the million and one other jobs that need doing, in the knowledge that my son isn't eating a piece of rabbit poo, rolling down the back side into the beck, or taste testing the many wild toadstools that grow up there while my back is turned.

So basically I'm looking for ideas for plants that meet the following criteria:
* Must be non-toxic. This is mainly in case he manages to taste test them, but also because we want him to be able to explore his garden and handle the plants as he wishes without any fear of mishap. For the same reason they shouldn't be prickly, spiky or irritant.
* Bonus would be if they are native.
* Also would be good if they attract butterflies, bumblebees, etc.
* Ideally low maintenance, I can't get there as often as I'd like to.


Some ideas I've had so far are common herbs like Rosemary, Sage, Mint and Thyme. Also for shade and shelter I was thinking of having a go at a living willow arch and some low tunnels for him to explore. I can't think of very much that would provide some colour though that is harmless to compact humans.

Any ideas?

EDIT: I forgot to say, I did do a google search but it seems that while lots of people quite rightly seem to be interested in avoiding poisoning their pets, there's hardly any info on avoiding poisoning kids.

 

All plants which are toxic or skin/eye irritant should be labelled as such. As for mollycoddling children in the garden I totally disagree. If you want the likes of holly or berberis in the garden, then have them. Children need to learn not to trust everything.

 

I think you're worrying too much Clueless. Children don't go about eating Privet hedges and hurling themselves into berberbis hedges. I think most of us grew up in gardens without doing these things. And children of that age are not left unsupervised in the garden - or anywhere else.

I would just plant what you want to grow, give your child credit for some intelligence and provide supervision appropriate for the age group.
Alternatively, you could buy cotton wool in bulk and and pack the place with it.
Please take this in the spirit in which it's offered.

 

I agree with David and Alice Clueless with the one exception, Water, Kids are Facinated by it and to me thats the danger in the garden..

 

Errrm I used to eat privet leaves as a child - probably explains a lot !!!! :lollol:

I agree - have what you want there, provide the supervision and don't worry too much.

 

Thanks all. Just a couple of things though, I totally agree about not not wrapping him up in cotton wool, and not leaving him unsupervised, but on the other hand I want him to have the ability to patrol his garden at will and handle the plants, without fear of an unnoticed bit he's snapped off going into his mouth and doing him harm.

In our back garden, and when out and about in the countryside, I always give him plenty of chances to handle the plants and trees we see if I know them to be harmless, because apart from the fact that he seems interested in studying everything in meticulous detail, I also think it is probably good for his development. I can assure you all he isn't going to be a towny when he grows up, he is going to have got covered in mud, had thorns in his hands, been stung by nettles etc, but just while he is at the "I study everything to assess if it is food" stage, I want to make sure there are no mishaps.

 

You need to put yourself in the mind of a toddler and think what would look attractive to handle and put in mouth. Anything bright and shiny is going to catch their eye, so berries are going to be high on his list! You also need to think of what is head, then hand, then reaching out for height and plant accordingly.

Hope this makes sense, it's a bit early in the morning for me to be lucid right now!

 

I remember eating crab apples when I was a little kid-I didn't do it again( actually I did), under-ripe blackberries is another story.


It's a fine line Clueless, I understand you want to keep him safe, but with his Mum or you watching him he will be okay. I agree with what's been said about berries-they will be the very first thing he goes for. Assiduous supervision during the dangerous period and a word like "yack!!" did for my three.

You could always tie him to a tree ( sorry-I am only joking, after three kids you develop a sense of humour about picking on them-I'd tie my kids to a tree though lol-by their necks!!-it is after all the big summer holidays, and they are in more danger from me than any plants).

 

I wouldn't leave a toddler unattended, garden or otherwise.

We had a wooden play-pen for when we were doing chores and wanted the kids constrained, but still "participating" so-to-speak.

 

Rosa Rugosa, very beautiful and fragrant and thorny, excellent way to teach the child a respect for plants. The thorns will scratch him but the flowers have a lovely scent and the berries are non toxic.

Calendula, lovely to plant with kids (even a baby can help), eadible and pretty.

Clovers for ground cover.

Anyways, it is important to teach to the baby which plants are safe and which are for decoration only, they learn very quickly. What about some strawberries or bush blueberries, or sugar peas or a currant shrub?

 

Aaron - Good thinking. Its sometimes hard to think in terms of what babies and toddlers can reach. I know its sounds silly but I sometimes lay belly down on the floor and follow my son along as he crawls so I can get a view of things from his perspective. Its quite amazon how accessible stuff is that you previously thought was well secured away.

Lollipop - The tying him to a tree idea might work. A mate of mine suggested something similar, he suggested nailing one foot to the ground so he can still move but can only go round in circles.

Kristen - He'd never been unsupervised. His mum will always be with him in his garden. I just want something that he can explore relatively freely. Under supervision but without the need to constantly chase him about and take things off him. I reckon it might be good for building his self confidence if he is allowed to think he is doing his own exploration, even though the his mum will be watching him like a hawk.

Selleri - Some good ideas there. Rose thorns are a tad vicious (even I fear them, they're worse then blackthorn daggers ), but I do like the idea. Maybe put some just beyond his perimeter fence so that although he won't be able to reach the stems until he's a bit bigger, they'll still form part of the garden design. In fact I really like that idea because it would fit in with the general landscape, as wild roses of various kinds grow up there anyway. I also like the Marigold idea, as apart from being pretty, as you say they are perfectly edible too. The only downside is they tend to need constant dead heading, and I can't get there as often as I'd like. I also hadn't though of clover. It should be an obvious choice, but it never crossed my mind. I wonder how well a clover 'lawn' would work. Hmmm, that's got me thinking.

I had thought about letting the odd nettle or thistle patch in, for the very purpose of teaching him that not all plants are nice to touch. I'm in too minds in that area, on one hand I want him to know that not everything is nice so that he doesn't do himself a mischief later, but on the other hand I don't want him to be traumatised and start thinking the countryside is nasty and he'd be better off being a towny. I'll have to ponder that one.

For the bulk of the arrangement I think I'm going to go for a range of herbs. Lavender and Rosemary seem like good choices. Nasturtium is another contender. The large flat leaves would contrast nicely with other plants. They are also totally edible, although in my opinion not that palatable, and pretty much zero maintenance I find. They also stink when disturbed, so between that and the likes of Rosemary, Lavender, Mint and whatever else, it could be an exploration by scent as much as anything else.

 

"Its quite amazing how accessible stuff is that you previously thought was well secured away"

Won't be long until you are moving things up a shelf ... then up another shelf ...

I remember discussing with my DW which set of "bricks" we should buy in Toy's R Us - there was a bag of bricks, and a box of bricks. The Box would keep them tidy, but was more expensive. A woman next to us said "Buy the bag, the box will increase the child's reach by 18 inches" :D

Its a good point about letting him explore freely.

 

I'm slightly confused Clueless - in one breath you want a child-friendly garden area with ultra child-friendly plants but at the same time, something which would '.... attract butterflies, bumblebees, etc' ? Granted, the butterflies are pretty but the bees (and wasps et.al) can sting.

As others have said, I think you may be worrying just a little too much. Small children are naturally inquisitive, they like to touch and put things in their mouths, it's what they do and assuming your son is no different from any other child, he'll most likely stick his fingers in some soil then put them in his mouth with no ill effect - even if it is reputed that 1/5 teaspoon of soil contains over 100 million bacteria.

Apart from absolutely no water (a child can drown in as little as 1" of it), I would just watch but let him roam around at will - when my 3 were small (the youngest at 10 months, the eldest 4 and-a-bit) it would have been easy to become paranoid every time they went into the garden, but by the time they were mobile they'd been taught that a sharp 'No' meant no and I didn't have to hover over them like a well-meaning attack missile.