Great gardens for kids

Garden landscaping can be a challenge at the best of times, so how do you combine an adventurous design that accommodates the kids? Find out what you can to enjoy the best of both worlds.

1. Divide the landscape into sections

A good way to achieve the best of both worlds is to have separate spaces within the garden for separate activities. If you've got sufficient space, give the kids an area to play in, whether it's a lawn or a play area with something like a sandpit.

Then you can have an entertaining area in another spot, and the more valuable plants in another.

2. Add garden screens for separation

You can divide the spaces up by using garden hedges. These could be very low hedges such as tom thumb, medium-sized varieties such as English box, or taller ones like bush Christmas lilly pilly.

Man-made outdoor screens like bamboo or reeds also work well, as do trellises and wire covered in climbers and creepers.

3. Choose safe garden plants

Consider child safety when selecting garden plants for screening. For example, while bougainvillea makes a stunning and hardy screening plant, it is also riddled with thorns and could lead to tears. Also ensure there's plenty of shade in the play area.

4. Keep the outdoor play area in view

Make sure that any outdoor play areas in the garden are in full view of convenient windows in the house - for example, the kitchen - so adults can keep an eye on everything that's going on.

5. Consider synthetic grass for the kids area

Nothing makes a garden look shabbier than a patchy, yellowing lawn. For high-traffic areas, such as your kids' play area, consider swapping real grass for fake.

High-quality synthetic grasses available today are soft underfoot and appealing to the eye - best of all, it will stay green and lush all year round and requires minimal maintenance.

6. Dress up the adult areas

Once you've got a designated play area, then it's much easier to keep your kids out of the spaces you want to keep manicured and beautiful.

Indulge yourself in these adult spaces by planting more fragile, ornamental plants and consider outdoor artwork, water features and invest in good barbeque equipment and outdoor settings.

Contact a landscape designer to find out how you can make your outdoor area fun for the family: