Last week we talked about ways of getting children interested in gardening, but of course the most important consideration in relation to children (not to mention adults ) and gardens is safety. While adults should really have enough common sense to work out when something is likely to put them at risk, kids, particularly younger ones, don’t necessarily have the knowledge or foresight to spot a potential danger.
At the risk of stating the obvious, keep tools and garden chemicals out of reach of children. For example, keep any fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides, etc. you may have on a high shelf in the shed or in a secure cupboard; and make sure sharp tools such as secateurs, penknives, shears and so on are out of reach. Put away power tools as soon as you’ve finished using them: a switch can be a great temptation to a child. (If you use tools with cables it’s a good idea – for your own safety – to use a circuit breaker (a residual current device or RCD ). )
Climbing frames, trampolines, swings and slides can be dangerous: make sure that trampolines are surrounded by a safety net/enclosure and provide a soft landing in case of falls by putting a thick layer of woodchips or something similar under the frame or swing. Above all, follow the manufacturer’s instructions when putting up these toys: they should include advice on making the toys as safe as possible.
The obvious risk with a pond is that a small child might fall in and drown. Small children are particularly at risk, so you might want to delay making a pond until they’re older: but if you already have a pond or similar water feature in the garden there are a few precautions you can take. The most obvious one is never to allow a child near a pond on their own, but given that this might not be practical, you could build a fence around the pond (it doesn’t have to be particularly high ); or cover it with wire mesh, weighed down around the edge with stones, bricks or planks. This sounds pretty unsightly, but you can camouflage the worst of it with plants around the water’s edge and with water plants in the pond itself.
What’s Your Poison?
Almost every garden contains some plants that are poisonous or potentially so. It’s wise to tell children that some plants are dangerous and to instil in them the habit of not eating anything from the garden unless they’ve asked an adult whether it’s safe. Berries, seeds and fruit are a particular danger, simply because they can look so appealing: bright red yew berries and the shiny black seeds of laburnum are prime examples.
You may want to avoid growing any poisonous plants at all, but if you don’t want to be quite that radical a certain degree of care and common sense can keep children safe. Plant shrubs or climbers that carry bright berries at the back of the border or behind dense plants so they’re harder to reach.
Make sure you know which of your plants are poisonous, and check whether new plants are poisonous when you buy them: the garden centre or nursery should be able to advise you, or check in a reference book. Some of the most common culprits are foxgloves, laburnum, daphne, hyacinth, euonymus, daffodil bulbs, yew and wisteria. If you suspect poisoning, take the child straight to A&E with a sample of what you believe them to have eaten.
Thorny or prickly plants can be a danger too: keep them cut back away from paths and lawn edges so that they don’t catch children’s clothes, skin or eyes.
