If you have children, an outdoor space they can play in is of the utmost importance (especially in this day and age when it’s hard to drag them away from their computers)! The trouble is if you have small children, making sure your garden is indeed child friendly can pose something of a headache.

Perhaps you have a pond or water feature? In which case, this will need specialist attention in order to make sure there are no accidents. Maybe you’re an avid gardener and would prefer your kids not to be in certain areas of the garden. It could also be that you have trees which is something kids just LOVE to climb when they’re at a certain age!

If you’re thinking about making sure you have a child friendly garden, take a look at the handy tips below to help you get started:

Make a Plan

It might not sound like the most interesting thing in the world to do, but making a plan on how you’re going to use your outdoor space will help when you’re ready to start creating that perfect garden. Think about what your children like to do when they’re outside.

Are they still at the age where they would like swings, a slide or a sandpit? Are they at an age where it’s all about kicking a football around or playing a bit of “bat and ball”? As for you (the parents), think about what you like to do. Do you want a vegetable patch so you can test your gardening skills, or would you like a quiet area where you can relax with a book?

We’re not all blessed with design abilities but even the most crude drawings will help get your ideas down on paper, and if you can get the children involved so much the better!

Use Space Wisely

Gardens vary wildly in size and if yours is on the smaller side, you might have to make some compromises. If you would like a vegetable patch, make sure you can keep this separate from the children’s play area or even consider growing vegetables in tubs which isn’t as hard to do as you might think.

If you intend to have a border filled with flowers but your kids can get a bit wild with a football, or other form of toy that can end up in the beds, try taking a look at hardy flowering bushes that won’t get damaged as oppose to delicate flowers that could lose their heads!

Consider Calling the Experts

Of course, if you have a budget in mind any reputable tree surgery company will be more than happy to help you design the perfect child friendly garden. This may come as a surprise to you because we all think of tree surgeons as professionals who only deal with trees. However, they are trained in the art of garden design as well.

Whatever size space you have, it is possible to create a garden the whole family can enjoy and you can at last get your kids interested in going outdoors!