With half term coming up, and National Children’s Gardening Week from 29 May to 6 June, it’s the perfect time to get children into gardening. Whether you have a small patio or a large lawn, gardening is a great and inexpensive way to get your littles ones outside, appreciating nature and getting creative.
Here are some fun ideas from Squire’s Garden Centres to get your children into gardening.
- Quirky Planter Creations
Turn unwanted items into perfect plant pots! You’ll be amazed at what can be recycled – old wellies, a pair of jeans, empty food tins or even plastic bottles all make fantastic planters. Then watch as your flowers bloom.
- Create Crackin’ Cress Heads
Carefully remove the top of your eggs, wash the shells and dab them dry. Draw faces on your shells with felt tip pens. Dip some cotton wool in water, squeeze out the excess, then place one cotton wool ball inside each shell. Sprinkle a few cress seeds on top. Sit your cress-filled shells in egg cups or an egg box on a sunny windowsill and watch them grow! Cress seeds £1.99 at Squire’s.
- Grow Your Own
Try growing tomatoes, strawberries or even a pumpkin in time for Halloween! Pumpkin seeds can be sown outdoors in May and June and are £1.99 per pack at Squire’s.
- Encourage wildlife into your garden
Add flowering plants such as lavender, foxgloves or roses which provide nectar, plant a shrub or tree for shelter, create a log pile for bugs and insects, or add a pretty ladybird tower to your garden.
Ladybird Tower £14.99 at Squire’s
- Sensational Sunflowers
Sunflowers are bright and cheery and very easy to grow. Sow seeds outdoors in May and the flowers will bloom from June to September. Sunflower seeds £1.99 per pack at Squire’s.
Squire’s also has a ‘tallest sunflower’ competition that children can enter. Simply take a photo of your child next to their tallest sunflower between 1-20 August 2021 for the chance to win £100! Find all the details at www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk
- Make your own miniature terrarium
Use a clean glass or jam jar and add a layer of decorative stones and sand. Top with soil, then add moss on top that will act as grass. Plant miniature plants or cuttings into your jar. Add a small rock, or even mini people, Lego figures, plastic dinosaurs or animals to really bring your terrarium to life!
There are 16 Squire’s Garden Centres across the South East. Shop instore or buy online for local delivery at www.squiresgardencentres.co.uk
About Squire’s Garden Centres
Squire’s Garden Centres is a successful family-owned horticultural business that serves the local community. There are 16 Squire’s Garden Centres to discover across Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, North and West London.
This year Squire’s is celebrating their 85th anniversary. The business was founded by D.J. Squire in 1936, initially as a landscape gardening business which then developed into one of the first garden centre businesses in the UK when Squire’s in Twickenham opened in 1964. Since then the company has become one of the best success stories in the industry, remaining in the Squire family under the leadership first of D.J’s son Colin Squire OBE – who is still actively involved in the business – and, today, Colin’s daughter Sarah Squire who is Chairman.
Squire’s offers a wide range of quality plants and garden products together with an extensive selection of garden furniture, houseplants and gifts. They continue their drive towards customer excellence with their highly qualified and experienced horticultural staff, on hand to help with plant related questions.
All centres have free parking, and a Café Bar (currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions) serving breakfast, drinks, snacks, lunch and afternoon tea. Four centres also have extensive pets and aquatics departments – at Squire’s in Badshot Lea, Twickenham, Stanmore and Washington.
Squire’s has close connections with schools and the local community – with a particular passion for encouraging new generations of gardeners through a year-round programme of workshops for all ages and abilities. Squire’s also supports various local charities, which are chosen each year by staff at the different centres.
Squire’s is at the forefront of developing best practice and innovation in the UK garden centre industry, and regularly wins industry awards, including:
Garden Centre Association (GCA) Awards
- “GROW” Award (Reigate 2021)
- Worrall Cup for “Best Marketing Campaign” (2020)
- “Best Outdoor Living” & “Best Indoor Lifestyle Retailer” (Hersham 2020)
- “Garden Centre of the Year” – South Thames Region (Hersham 2019)
- “Garden Centre of the Year” – North Thames Region (Shepperton 2019)
- “Best Garden Centre” in England (Shepperton 2018)
- “Best Plant Area” Ruxley Rose Award (Twickenham 2016 & 2015)
- “Garden Centres of Excellence” (Milford 2016)
Garden Trade News Greatest Christmas Awards
- “The Greatest Group Garden Centre Christmas Team” (Badshot Lea 2020)
The Express Home & Living Awards
- Best Garden Centre (2017)
RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show
- Silver Gilt Medal & “People’s Choice” for “The Urban Rain Garden” (2017)
- Gold Medal & “People’s Choice” for “Squire’s 80th Anniversary Garden” (2016)
- Silver Gilt Medal for the “Urban Oasis” show garden (2015)