Whimsy in a Child's Garden

While you are helping your kids plant their gardens, be sure to let them include some whimsical objects to make it extra fun! Whimsy is following a whim - being fanciful, fun, eccentric, impulsive, and unpredictable. Many things can be considered whimsical. It just needs to appeal to you or your child. A touch of whimsy can take a basic garden and make it special and personal. It can make a nice garden fun and exciting!

Whimsy in found items - One person's trash can be another's treasure. No place is this more true than in the garden. Some of the most wonderful whimsical items can be found while "dumpster diving" or at yard sales. One of my favorite items, birdie, was found for $2.00 at a yard sale. Birdie is just a metal bird caricature that is mainly long legs and arms attached to a big beak and not much more. It caught my eye and he has been rusting out in my gardens every since.

Other found items that would be fun could be:

• an old wooden chair or small table - grow some flowers or grass on it or make a scarecrow or flowerpot person to sit on it
• an old metal headboard to be used as a trellis supporting climbing flowers, or other vine plants
• bowling balls (shine up the pretty swirly ones, use metallic or granite paint on others or do tile mosaics on them)
• pretty rocks, rocks with interesting shapes, fossils, etc.
• driftwood
• old glass door knobs put on stakes and made into hose guides or stuck among the flowers in the garden
• kitchen items - pretty bottles, graters, vases, bowls, etc.
• old toys - use old sand buckets as flower pots, other items as sculpture, crochet mallets as hose guides, etc.
• old tools -

Whimsy in handmade items - Lots of fun can be had in making whimsical items for the garden as well. My husband and son made a fountain for my garden from a metal washtub, a watering can, a pump and a few other pieces. A little paint, a discarded flowerpot, rock, gourd, etc. is all it takes.

Some handmade items could be:

• rocks painted to look like lady bugs, beetles, or other creatures
• scarecrows made or old clothes
• gourds painted to resemble various animals or gourds made into bird houses, or other items
• twig trellis or twig furniture
• fun garden signs - a friend makes wonderful garden signs to announce lady bug lane, midnight dances for the garden fairies, or display garden sayings
• a flowerpot made into a special toad house such as the one pictured here made by my friend Donna or flowerpots put together to look like people or made into bird baths
• play houses made of sunflowers, teepees made of sticks, etc.
• fountains made of anything that catches your fancy

Whimsy in purchased items - There are any number of whimsical items that can be purchased for the garden these days. Walking into any garden center will reveal an unending list.

Some purchased items might be:

• wire or rusted metal insects
• metal or stained glass garden picks
• plastic "flying" critters
• pink flamingos
• decorated step stones
• terracotta, concrete, or resin statuary
• fountains and birdbaths
• strings of white lights or party lights
• wind chimes
• metal or wooden silhouettes of garden fairies, animals, etc.

Everywhere you look, there are bits of whimsy that could be integrated into the garden. I encourage you to look at things with fun, creative eyes that see what a piece of "junk" can become and how it can add whimsy to the garden. Have a great time adding fun to your child's garden and to your own!

© Linda Mazar