5 Tips for Involving Children in Gardening and Floral Design
Back in early March 2020, when I first started to hear that it was a possibility that my kids could be stuck at home for a few weeks, I was a little excited I’d have them around more often.
I had been making big plans all through the winter months, and the warming weather meant that there were lots of chores that needed to be done to be ready for our farm's first growing season.
I had rows that needed tilling, drip irrigation that needed to be laid, landscape fabric that needed burning, and the list went on. Knowing I had some pretty capable kids, I thought it would be great if they had some extra time on their hands to help get the work on our family farm accomplished.
Getting Your Kids Involved in Gardening, Flower Farming, and Floral Design
What I didn't realize was that the pandemic changes were going to last a lot longer than a few weeks—and that all the adjustments to quarantine life meant that quite a bit of that extra time my kids had would be taken up with their favorite ways to de-stress, which does not include gardening, unfortunately.
The first week or so, I tried just assigning everyone a large task, with a reward for when they got the job done. I figured that they could each spend an hour during the middle of their day as a break from their studies to come outside and help.
This was a miserable fail. I started to figure out I had to be really intentional with how I assigned tasks to my kids. Through my own trial and error, here are my top 5 tips for getting your children involved in floral design and flower growing, while still being productive.
1. Find a task that suits that child.
My first week, I tried to have my 14-year-old, Noah, help me with the irrigation around the peonies. After his size 11 feet trampled two peony babies, I decided that wasn't a good idea.
I had to think hard about what each kid was good at, and then point that out to them and give them assignments that matched. My 16-year-old, Harrison, is my brute force. When I needed rebar posts pounded in or compost or mulch hauled from one end of our property to the other, Harrison was up for that job.
Noah is a Lego enthusiast and loves to build, so when I need a rock wall or a new arbor for the roses constructed, he's my guy.
My sweet 11-year-old Olivia is a social butterfly and constantly wants company and someone to talk to, so if I have a task where I need a second pair of hands, like sowing a row of transplants or seeds, she's the perfect helper.
My sweet 8-year-old, Levi, is excellent at finding things and has plenty of energy to run to and fro, so he's my official fetcher. Often, I'll ask him to shadow me and fetch whatever I ask for.
I tell my kids these talents they have and preface every job request with why I think they will be so good at that job.
2. Let them use your tools.
They want to use what they see you using. If I'm having Olivia help me plant the seedlings, I let her use the dibber to make the holes. When Noah helps build the trellis, I allow him to use the power drill. When Levi is tasked with weeding, I make sure he has my coveted hori hori knife to complete the job more efficiently.
If I need something picked up from the nursery, I let Harrison drive the farm truck to get it for me.
3. Take time to work side by side with them.
For one, you want to make sure they understand the task, so doing it with them for a while is a great way to teach them what you need. You also want them to know that you are working just as hard as they are.
Recently in a podcast, I heard a fellow flower farmer mention that your crew reflects your work ethic, but I think this is especially true when your crew consists of your own children.
If they believe you are on your phone and not in the dirt with them, they will soon be on their phone too. Even though I am typically still working when I am on my phone or my computer, I'm out there getting dirty right alongside them when they are working in the yard.
4. Involve your kids when you are learning new things.
I love that there are so many floral design tutorials and online floral education options readily available during this quarantine time.
I often have my daughter come watch tutorials with me and help make flower bouquets, flower crowns, and centerpieces.
I find her reminding me of a principle she learned in the videos: "Mom, you need a mid-tone bloom to bridge your white and dark blue muscari—I think this light blue muscari is perfect!" I love that being responsible for my kids' education has also given us some freedom about where they spend their time in art class—using flowers as our medium.
5. Give them an incentive.
I have four kids—three of them are boys, so growing and selling flowers is less than thrilling to those three. I started our family flower farm, partly to teach my kids the value of hard work. So I pay my kids for the work they accomplish.
I have found that paying them per task works better than for their time since they take a long time to accomplish things when paid hourly. Instead, I will incentivize through pay-per-task with things like:
$3 per rose planted
5 cents for every bindweed pulled
$10 to hand till and rake a 25-foot row
This helps them feel in control of how much they want to earn, and they quickly see how the work translates to money.
Now that we've had weeks and weeks of practice learning how to all work together, we are getting a lot accomplished—and I do believe that some love of the outdoors, nature, and flowers is rubbing off on them too.
