Children's Garden

Gardening for fun

Kids can also get pleasure from gardening itself, so establish a patch of ground that is their own. Help them dig the soil over, give them a few packets of seed and see their faces light up as they watch 'their' plants grow. Try sweet peas - they're easy to grow and kids love watching the stem of the plant unravel and training itself around a cane, and the flowers are a child's delight of colour and sweet smells. Sunflowers are good too, as they grow tall and have amusing 'faces'.

Vegetables are also rewarding - children are enchanted when they dig up the earth and discover a treasure trove of potatoes beneath. If you have a warm window sill, or better still a greenhouse, let them have a go with something exotic like a red pepper. Or try fruit bushes and raspberry canes - they are relatively low maintenance (they just need a little weeding and netting from the birds) and give a child the thrill of eating treats straight from the plant.

Feeding the mind

Not all of us can run to a pirate ship in our own back yard, like this fantastic one at the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial garden in Kensington Gardens, London. But the garden is full of imaginative ideas many of which could be re-created at home, like a crocodile made of large stones. The gardens are intended to develop children's curiosity and spontaneity in an imaginative and stimulating environment. The designers took JM Barrie's Peter Pan as their inspiration and feature many elements from the story in the garden. Besides the pirate ship and the crocodile, they also have a sandy beach and an Indian encampment complete with teepees and a totem pole. The garden is open seven days a week. For more information tel (020) 7298 0234.