Unleash your inner child: transforming gardens with playful plants

Forget the rigid rules of horticulture – there's a vibrant, joyful way to cultivate a garden that captivates both kids and adults alike. It’s about embracing a childlike sense of wonder, prioritizing the unusual and the delightfully eccentric over strict propagation schedules. The result? A garden bursting with personality and endless entertainment.

Reaching for the sky: towering flora for a wonderland effect

Who needs a sprawling estate when you can create a miniature Wonderland in your backyard? Plants that shoot skyward deliver just that. Mulleins, like the aptly named ‘Christo’s Yellow Lightning’ (a nod to a famously slow donkey!), send up colossal stems of banana-yellow glory. Angelica, with its apple-green globes, becomes a haven for buzzing insects, while Allium ‘Summer Drummer’ offers a whimsical touch, its flower spheres floating high above even the smallest gardeners. All three stand tall at two meters and can be planted this year for a floral spectacle next summer.

Floral fireworks and gigantic blooms

Imagine dried flowerheads transformed into shimmering decorations – that’s the magic of Schubert’s allium, with its 30 cm-wide blooms resembling exploding fireworks. For truly oversized displays, look to Strong Annabelle hydrangeas, boasting mophead blooms the size of dinner plates. And if your children feel like they’ve shrunk after a sip of a curious potion, the dinner plate dahlias, particularly ‘Mango Madness’ with its 25 cm wide flowers, will certainly contribute to the illusion.

Scratch-and-sniff delights: aromatic adventures

But a garden isn't just about visual spectacle; it's about engaging all the senses. Scented-leaf pelargoniums, thriving in terracotta pots, offer an olfactory adventure. Rubbing their leaves releases a surprising array of fragrances – cola, rose, mint, lemon, orange, hazelnut, cinnamon, cedar, and even coconut! Complement these with fragrant perennials like salvias and agastaches, or aromatic shrubs such as lavender and rosemary, creating a delightful “scratch ‘n’ sniff” border.

Butterfly havens & kaleidoscope of colors

Attracting butterflies is simple: fill your garden with nectar-rich blooms. The Buddleja, or butterfly bush, is a magnet for Peacocks, Red Admirals, and countless others, available in bubblegum pink ('Pink Delight') or the striking orange and purple of 'Bicolor'. For smaller spaces, the compact Heliotrope offers indigo flowers that smell deliciously of cherry pie. And don’t miss Verbena bonariensis – a tall, airy plant that provides glimpses of the blooms behind it, feeding butterflies well into November. For a splash of immediate color, sow vibrant poppies, like ‘Ladybird’ with its red and black blotches, or the glossy orange California poppies, thriving in gritty soil.

Sweet treats and edible escapades

Transforming a vegetable patch from a boring chore into an exciting expedition is easier than you think. Forget rows of monotonous greens; introduce crops with personality. Rainbow chard boasts stems in a dazzling array of pink, amber, yellow, and red. The ‘Paris Market’ carrot, shaped like an orange golf ball, is a conversation starter, and the sweet ‘Watermelon’ radish, with its bright-pink center, adds a playful touch. Alpine strawberries, producing tiny, intensely sweet fruits, are a simple delight to cultivate.

Building a secret hideaway

Creating a den is a quintessential childhood dream. Miniature pumpkins, like ‘Jill Be Little’, can be trained over a teepee or arch, while trailing nasturtiums add a fiery touch, their edible flowers attracting bumblebees. For a more permanent structure, consider living willow – a versatile option that thrives in both sun and shade, perfect for constructing a magical garden hideout. The NatureNest Collection believes that a garden should be more than just a collection of plants; it's a canvas for creativity and a sanctuary for the soul.