I never had children, but I saw this idea and thought it was really cool:

You could create a beanstalk tee-pee. Not sure how 'girly' that is, but I'd have loved it. You basically make a form with poles, well secured in the earth, and tied off at the top ~~ then, plant different types of beans, pole beans, scarlet runners, royal purple, maybe some morning glorys and have straw inside to 'hide out'!!

One idea, anyway. Regards.

well if i was a little girl and I am.. haha ( 30 is still a little girl right?) I woudl want a tea-party garden.

and I woudl go buy old garage sale china cups and saucers and plant some.,.. and maybe make some bird feeders out of some... and do it all up with girly cottagey garden stuff!

garden junk is a great forum for these kinds of ideas too.

My future daughter will have to have a tea-party garden

and if that doesnt work then it must be a fairy garden.
:)

You can find a theme in many favorite books. I am planning to make a Winnie the Pooh 100 Acre Wood in my garden once I have some grandchildren. I will just make the houses the characters lived in.

My sister is a substitute grandma to three little girls, so she put down little stepping stones all through her garden along with little fairy houses that the girls helped her build. Then she got a variety of little fairies that have attached stakes to go in the ground and she lets the little girls hide the fairies each time they come over.

I guess those aren't really about plant choices though, are they?

There was just a post in Garden junk that was really cute!!
with mushrooms..........you have to see it!

haziemoon

If my girls were young enough to enjoy that kind of thing..
Alice in wonderland would be my theme!!!! What fun that would be?? I may have grand babies in a few years!
maybe I need to start my magical garden now......
What a great post!!! plesae post pic's..............we all
need help!

hazimoon

I've read about planting a pizza garden for kids. You plant things that would go on pizza in different wedges of a circle. You could use tomatoes, onions, different herbs, peppers, etc.

I think there are also a few people on CG who have biblical themed gardens, though this might be more of an adult themed garden.

If you do a search for "fairy gardens" I think you'll come up with some pictures of what Debbie is talking about.

I love the idea of a pizza garden, flutterby!

I think it would be a great way to get kids interested in growing veggies. Most kids love pizza, and what a kick for them to be able to pick the ingriedients from their own garden.

What a cool idea for an elementary school garden, too

Marilyn ( who is starting to crave pizza! )

before my very very large pine tree was removed, i placed gnomes hiding underneath. the neighborhood kids would get a kick out of looking unter the tree and seeing what the gnomes were doing.

Hi gang-
My boys would love a pizza garden..it is their favorite food group.Mine is chocolate. And the teepe idea! Saw the mushroom and fairy links.Very cute! Maybe it is a Southern California deal but I have seen way too many fairy gardens. Doesn't mean my niece would not love it:.)She would adore it!

I am musing over a "musical garden" with plants like snapdragons, drumstick primula, chile-bells rose, chiming bells....still working on it. Any suggestions?

My mom has a "Saint" garden all together in part of her front yard. She planted-Saint Bernard's lily, St Bruno's lily, St. John's bread,St. Vincent Lilac. Also
St. Joseph lily and St. Catherine lace.
Keep me posted with ideas.
Gigi

pizza- what a great idea!

Oh yeah, pizza is definitely a food group. lol! Must be eaten at least once a week to remain sane and alert for major gardening chores, not to mention weekly nursery shopping. : )

I wish I still had the magazine article with the Wizard of Oz theme. The owners even had yellow bricks lining their paths. They made a tin man out of those aluminum dryer vents and he had an old metal funnel for a hat. Too cute!

As for girly-girl, what's her favorite color? I'd use that as a starting point for plant choices, then see what kind of other accents you could work in.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Diana

I have been toying with the idea of a Wyoming garden lately. Came upon the idea when people were asking questions about a "Wyoming" variety of Cannas I think it was. It would be a garden comprised of plants with Wyoming in the name...there might be enough to create a nice showing...I have to do some more research...could use sites/names inside Wyoming if the plant possibilities were too limited.

R

I like butterflies and ladybugs. I have several butterfly sculptures and it's fun and easy to paint ladybugs on river rocks and hide them in the garden.

A simple and easy theme is always color. You could plant a patriotic red, white and blue patch. We have a permenant white garden. My teenage son loves orange so we've started an orange garden for him.

It is fun to go to a nursery and be surprised by the variety of plants you can find in a single color.

A fragrance garden or a garden of texture (lamb's ears!) would be interesting as well.

Let us know what you end up doing. It sounds like you are having fun.
Happy

How about a garden that spells out their name's like
MARY, "M"arigold, "A"ster, "R"ockcress, "Y"arrow.

Here is my theme garden. My grandchildren love my Bible Garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:694469}}

New here, but I thought the Tin Man was really cute for a Wizard of Oz themed garden. My MIL has one in her yard under a pine tree on an antique child's garden bench. Just go to Hobby Lobby's site, go to craft search, and enter Tin Man.

I also had the magazine with the Oz-themed garden, it's on 'permanent loan' to a friend right now...hopefully I'll get it back, soon! I think it might have been in either Garden Shed or Garden Gate.

Hope this helps!

So many-- many good ideas---this is great!!! This is just what I needed to get my creative side going.

If you think of new ones...post it!! :.)

Gigi

People here grow the pizza garden farm sized and have school kids come on field trips to see it. I believe they have goats or cows on the side for the cheese as well. Some of you have places big enough to do that. : )

For us Catholic girls, there is the "Mary" garden.
http://www.mgardens.org/JS-IMG-MARY.html

Thanks Susie ---
My niece is named Mary!!!
Gigi

The book "Sunflower Houses" by Sharon lovejoy has wonderful suggestions for themed gardens, plants kids can't resist, garden architecture, and more. This is one of my very favorite gardening books! Lovejoy's other books are fantastic, too. "Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots" and "Hollyhock Days"

Here is a link that might be useful: Sunflower Houses

bibliobeth-
Should I buy Sunflower Houses or Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots? One reviewer said the RSBB book was better than Sunflower Houses....
Gigi

Gigi-
I own Sunflower Houses, and RSBB is on my wish list. (I read it a year or two ago.) I think SH is more whimsical, with stories, snippets of poetry, and grown-ups' memories of gardens they have loved. RSBB is more down-to-earth (bad pun unintended :-), with solid ideas for specific projects. Both have common elements and ideas, but SH is more about enjoying a garden, and RSBB is more about creating a garden, if that makes sense. They are both great books, but I think RSBB has more actual garden projects. (The Moon garden is a fantastic idea, we are thinking of creating one for ourselves!) HTH

I have read RSBB and have a copy I am borrowing from the library. As far as pracitical advice with specific projects including a planting list RSBB is top. I am not that familiar with Sunflower Houses so cannot tell about it.

You may actually want to request both books from the library and see how you react to them both. I often do that when debating which if any book to purchase to fill a specific need. My library has an online catalog where I can just look up the book and then request that it be sent to my local branch. Once in there I get an email or a phone call to let me know it is there so I can go pick it up. Very easy and efficient. I love being able to just cut and paste a book title into my browser and then request the book right then and there that everyone was discussing.