Creating a garden with older children has many benefits while allowing exploration and support for their own interests. Teens especially benefit from spending time in nature: it encourages mindfulness and lessens anxiety. Working in the garden is a complete sensory experience where older children are freed from academic expectations and allowed to observe cause and effect naturally. For instance, a child interested in birds can try different foods in feeding stations to see which birds are attracted by each. Children who enjoy design, might gravitate toward the research and planning steps in creating a specialized garden. These children could research top berry-producing shrubs for birds or sketch the garden layout. Gardening is not limited to homeowners. A container garden, where all plants including shrubs are in pots on a patio or veranda, will offer wildlife a safe space to eat and nest. Some towns offer community garden plots; this might be an option if the entire family wants to join.

Themed Gardens

There are numerous styles of gardens. Having a theme or a specific purpose for a garden informs decisions from what to plant to what features to add. All the themed-gardens listed below can be small. Learning sustainable gardening practices will keep the environment safe and supply your family with chemical-free produce. The gardens below should be weed killer and pesticide free, so pollinators can carry pollen between vegetables and flowers that can only be fertilized by insects.

Vegetable Gardens

Vegetable gardening encourages healthy eating habits while demonstrating how crops are grown. Children who enjoy cooking can plant vegetables to use in their favorite dishes. A small, raised bed with rich, loose, organic soil is best for a successful vegetable garden. If your child is interested in construction, building the garden bed is real-life practice of geometry while teaching the safe way to use tools (always supervised by an adult). Let children choose which vegetables to plant and teach them to weed by hand rather than spraying weed killer. Some plants like tomatoes and beans, will produce more of their crop when visited by pollinators. Companion planting is a natural way to control pests, so check out the best plants to grow together here. Harvesting can open new activities for children to explore like food preservation: pickling, dehydrating, canning, and freezing. Check with your local cooperative extension service for classes or workshops demonstrating how to preserve vegetables safely.

Pollinator Garden

The focus of a pollinator garden is to supply insects like bees, butterflies, moths, and beetles a place to eat, nest, and shelter. This garden teaches your child to be mindful and observant of the diversity of insects, from pollinators who fertilize 1,200 of our food crops to other beneficial insects, like ladybugs, that help keep pest populations in check. Lawns and garden beds must be free of all chemicals in a garden designed for pollinators. To support butterflies and moths, contact your local Native Plant Society chapter or the North American Butterfly Association to learn what “host plants” to add. Butterfly and moth caterpillars survive only with their specific host plant. For example, the monarch butterfly lays eggs on milkweed alone, because that is the host plant for her caterpillars. Before embarking on pollinator gardening, remember a successful pollinator garden is not tidy: plant leaves are hole-ridden from hungry butterfly caterpillars and fallen leaves on the ground give shelter to other insects. Consider creating the garden in the backyard, especially if your area has a neighborhood association that enforces how a property must look.

Wildlife Garden

This is a generalist’s garden for the child that loves all animals from the skunk that digs up grubs in the backyard to the chickadee that visits the bird feeder. A wildlife garden will offer year-round food sources, nesting areas, water, and winter shelter. Older children can research types of plants that offer seed and berry food sources in the winter and native evergreens that offer shelter against snow. To avoid overwhelm, consider adding one or two elements to the garden at a time: a bird feeding station and native flowers one year and a bird bath and berry shrubs the next. Wildlife gardens or backyards are perfect for an outdoor camera so the whole family can watch what animals visit at night.

Bird Garden

Like the wildlife garden, a bird garden should provide food, nesting areas, water, and shelter. Many suggestions listed in the pollinator and wildlife gardens will apply to a bird garden. By providing a habitat for insects, birds will come to nest in your yard. A chickadee mother alone must feed her nestlings a total of 5,000 insects before they fledge. Allow fallen leaves to stay on the ground under trees and shrubs so insect populations remain robust. New studies show that poisoned insects mean poisoned birds. Chemically-treated lawns can be rehabbed by allowing native grasses to take over. Be sure to place decals on windows to reduce window-strikes, birds colliding with glass.

Moon Garden

A moon garden is a dreamy sort of place for night time pollinators like moths. Moon gardens are filled with heavily scented flowers that open in late evening or night. Some gardeners fill moon gardens with white flowers, but other colors can be integrated into the design. As with the other gardens, steer clear of weed killers and pesticides. Keep autumn leaves on the ground year-round under trees and shrubs so moth larvae have a safe place to transform from larva to moth. Try to keep a moon garden clear of artificial lights, too, as they confuse moths. Contact your Native Plant Society chapter to find native plants that support moths in your area.

Sensorial Garden

Sensorial gardens are filled with plants that engage the senses through sight, smell, taste, touch, or sound. Older teens might enjoy researching which plants offer what sensorial experience. For example, lamb’s ears have soft velvety leaves for touch, lemon thyme has a strong citrus scent, and tall native grasses create a rustling sound in the wind. Adult supervision is needed to choose plants for a sensorial garden. Choose plants that are non-toxic and do not cause a rash if touched, especially if there are younger siblings. Most herbs need to be cooked before they are edible. Help children choose herbs that are safe to eat and make sure they clean all garden-grown produce. When planting edibles, choose soil safe for growing food and look to sustainable gardening practices.

Kitchen Garden

Historically kitchen gardens were positioned off the door of the kitchen and supplied the house with vegetables and herbs. During the world wars, kitchen gardens became popular in America and were called “victory gardens” where food was grown to support civilians and troops. A raised bed or containers on a porch or veranda are a modern version of the kitchen garden. In spring, plant lettuce and other cold weather crops like kale or cabbage. In summer, fill the garden with easy to grow vegetables such as tomatoes, beans, squash, and herbs. Crops like tomatoes fruit more profusely when pollinated by bees. Try companion planting to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects that will keep pests at bay.

Herb Garden

An herb garden is perfect for a patio or veranda. Growing herbs in containers supports pollinators while also giving your family fresh herbs for cooking. Many teens will know which herbs they love and which they dislike. Allow them to choose herbs they enjoy cooking with. If the herbs do well, children can harvest and preserve the spices by air drying, using a dehydrator, freezing the leaves whole, or freezing the herb as a puree. Find a local nursery that sells organic seedlings or grow your own from organic seeds.

Designing a garden with older children allows them to explore interests and connect with a world beyond their phone screens. Gardening is an activity that everyone in a family can benefit from and enjoy together. We just need to show children the way.

About the Author

V. Kulikow is a former Montessori teacher and youth services librarian. She currently works as a UX designer and enjoys content creation both with words and images. On weekends you can find her gardening, taking nature photos, and working on her garden design certification through the Native Plant Trust.

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The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.