Our goal was to transform a shady back area into a little woodland garden for their soon-to-be toddler. They have a lot of friends with young children who come over to play, so we decided to incorporate tree stumps for the kids to climb on and chalkboard paint on the back fence (not shown). A sandbox to play in, and a bench for the parents not far from the sandbox, under the existing tree in the corner, is a great place to enjoy the space.
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| Before |
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| Newly Planted "After" with Musical Mushrooms, Bench and Sandbox |
We wanted to create a whimsical and inviting space. A perfect place to be outdoors even on a hot day. The musical mushroom sculpture is for toddlers to play with sticks. It has a lovely sound similar to prayer bowls. I made it out of common objects with my husband's help! The bench is made from posts sunk into the ground, so it is very stable and virtually permanent. The stumps also serve as seating.
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| Before |
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| Newly Planted. Sandbox installed at back right. |
Existing stepping stones and rocks were rearranged to best effect. And we created a second secret pathway into the space through a Bean Tee Pee at the edge of the patio. You can see the second path in the pic above, back, center.
The beans on our bamboo tee pee are tiny now, but they'll fill in.
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| Bean Tee Pee Arch |
For the shadier areas, I chose Abutilon, Heuchera, Pelargonium tomentosum, Geranium maderense, Tibouchina, and Acanthus mollis.
For the somewhat sunnier areas, I chose Red Trumpet Penstemon and Salvia Hot Lips.
From my research these plants are either non-toxic or mildly irritating if eaten.
How charming!
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