A Child’s Garden by Molly Dannenmaier

Reviewed by Dr. Chris Kline

A Child’s Garden is not an in depth “how to” guide, and all the gardens and projects are outdoor, rather than indoor or greenhouse oriented, but it is a fantastically valuable work, none the less.

In all my relationships as a gardener, interacting with other gardeners, there is one common thread that seems to be woven into the fabric of all those with an affinity for the dirt. Someone, or some situation, from their childhood planted the seed that seems to exist within all avid gardeners. Often this seed lies dormant for much of ones middle years only to emerge later in life when it is most needed to ground us and connect our roots firmly to the earth.

A Child’s Garden is a magical work that will inspire the imagination of both children and adults, primarily through its vivid and ample images. The subtitle for the book is “60 ideas to make any garden come alive for children”. Each of these ideas presents a unique way to create a landscape that will nurture a child’s sense of wonder and enchantment. The special gift of this book is the full color photos of some of the most beautiful and imaginative gardens for children, from small modest spaces to large elaborately planned public gardens.

The book includes suggestions for vegetable gardens, theme gardens, water gardens, sensory gardens, attracting wildlife and more, all geared towards making a child's space a natural one. For gardeners with young children or grandchildren and all those young at heart, this book is a beautiful resource.

Dr. Christopher J. Kline is a master gardener and writer living in Paradise Valley Arizona. Chris is a member of the Garden Writers Association and a columnist for Garden and Greenhouse Magazine. You can contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it