Playset Landscaping

Landscaping Around a Playhouse

While your children's down-sized dream home doesn't have to match your life-sized one at all, you can tie the two together and meet your children halfway between them - with a bit of charming landscaping. Opt for "miniature" plants that will make sense, at their full height, with the scale of your small backyard home. Plant fast-growing shrubs along the playhouse's walkway to create a sense of intimacy, and don't shy away from strange or dramatic plants remember, a child's playhouse is home to the imagination, so nurture it inside and out!

Large, wildly colored plants with exotic leaves can transform a playhouse landscape into the uncharted Amazon while rows of sweet, dainty Baby's Breath, miniature lilac and rose bushes, and pastel blossoms can mimic the feel of a cozy English countryside.

Choose brightly colored, softly fragrant plants with no thorns or prickly limbs. And, most importantly, choose plants safe to eat (even if they aren't meant to be tasted). Gardening experts say many children can't distinguish between non-toxic and poisonous plants, so, even after choosing ingestible flowers and greens for your playhouse landscape, take the time to walk through the yard with your little ones. Tell them what each plant is and which ones, if any, they should avoid.

Make the planting process itself a lesson by planting tulip and daffodil bulbs in the spring and a small vegetable or herb garden in the playhouse's "backyard" during the fall to be left in the care of your children. Consider the following, easy-to-grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs:

Strawberries
Blueberries
Carrots
Radishes
Tomatoes
Lavender
Sage
Thyme