Lots Of Ideas And Advice Needed

Many of you know that we support a very good local charity by opening our garden to raise money for them and we do other fundraising events for them as well.

This year's invite to our garden is here:-

http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/special-invite-to-forum-members-2012.41845/#post-527001

The charity is a small meeting place, club and therapy centre for mentally handicapped children as well as providing respite for parents. This year is it's 40th birthday and some of the children that are now adults find it their only anchor point in their lives.

Mrs Shiney and I have been asked for advice with the revamping of their garden. It's a very small garden and has been redesigned for them. This design now requires planting ideas that will not only look good but will help stimulate the members. Some of the kids are also physically handicapped.

We have had some thoughts on the matter but could really do with lots of imput.

Most of the area has a wonderful rubber flooring and some flat and raised beds have been added.

They have a number of play equipment that can be brought out of the shed and put on the rubber area.




The first bed to tackle is this one. The fire escape stairs need to be protected to keep their heads away from the metal. We have thought of putting trellis around the edge of the circular staircase and growing runner beans up it


The rest of the bed needs ideas.

These are the two raised beds (for wheelchair users)



This is a storage wall (in the background) for the kids to keep anything they like

and we need ideas of what to grow up the trellis.

 

This area shall have the paving finished and seating facilities for a quiet area.



This small bed seems ideal for growing giant sunflowers.



The small bed nearest the camera is likely to be converted to a sand pit as it may need to be walked through when taking large items from the storage area. The other bed needs ideas.


As the children are likely to run around without much thought to where they are running I have suggested that the beds each have a 9" picket fence around them. I'm sure we can persuade a local builder's merchant to sponsor them.

I would hope to get a garden centre to sponsor the plants.

A lot of the beds, I think, would benefit from having parts that can be replanted seasonally to stimulate the kids and other, permanent, plants to give them a settled aspect.

Apart from the occasional snack the kids aren't fed so a lot of the plants in a kitchen garden would not be of use but, I think, that something like a few lettuces (in rotation) may interest them.

Over to you!

 

Yes, scented plants, tactile plants (we thought of stachys), fast growing plants, colourful plants will all be good but we shall need to be aware that they may handle things roughly and could put bits of plants in their mouths.

 

How about a herb bed, many of them are very tough and give off a nice aroma when picked or trampled on, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint etc.

 

Thanks everyone

We're already working on sponsorship

 

Just an update:-

We found someone who was able to give more time to the project (that was part of what they wanted me to arrange) and it has been left to them. They incorporated some of the ideas listed here but I didn't get a chance to see how it developed. I'll have to find some time to get round there and see but I seem to spend what time I can allocate to them in fundraising.

 

I'm still involved with raising money for them but haven't found time to see how the project fared

We raise the money by opening my garden, selling plants and produce and by running a few smaller projects such as a bridge drive etc. They've received something over £5,000, so far, this year.